


Neutiquam Erro

by shannyfish



Series: "Tempus" Re-Write Series [1]
Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Episode: s04e01 Tempus, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-16
Updated: 2011-12-05
Packaged: 2017-10-26 03:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 55,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/278229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shannyfish/pseuds/shannyfish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when James and Helen actually change the timeline?  How will it affect the future?  Re-write of “Tempus”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Mistake I Made

**Author's Note:**

> I didn’t like the season opener (4x01 – Tempus), so I’ve decided to write my own opener for it! It’s more Fringe-ish. I think that having a bigger effect on the timeline would have made things far more entertaining.

**Chapter 1 – “The Mistake I Make”**  
  
  
 **London, 1898**  
  
Helen arrived in the streets of London.  A London she remembered fondly.  It was her time, her original time.  People gawked at her as they passed by.  She wasn’t dressed period correct.  She needed to fix that, so she wouldn’t be sticking out.  Right now, though, she knew she wasn’t too fair behind Adam.  She needed to see if he was close.  Maybe she needn’t stick around for long enough to need to find appropriate dress.  Helen wasn’t sure how she’d get back home, but she was hoping that Adam had thought of that before he’d come back to save his daughter.  
   
Moving off the streets and towards an alley, she was cautious and had her gun at the ready.  Adam Worth wasn’t to be trusted, especially not the future version.  After a couple of minutes, she spotted something.  She moved through the alleyway and then saw him.  “Adam!” she called, her gun at the ready.  
   
Gunshots echoed through the alley.  His and hers.  It was quickly answered by whistles.  She knew these whistles.  She needed to get to Adam and then they needed to get off the streets and to somewhere safe until she could figure out what they were going to do.  She was about to suggest this when there was the sound of breaking.  She looked upward towards where the sound emanated from.  Falling debris was headed her way.  She didn’t have time to move.  Helen covered herself and crouched a bit to try to protect herself as much as possible.  
   
She felt the weight of the building debris a moment later.  She was pressed against the cobblestone.  Helen sucked in breath and tried to fight the darkness that was pushing to take her over.  The darkness won…and she allowed the breath to be released.  
   
.   .    .  
   
   
This world, it wasn’t her world anymore.   
   
It was quite apparent from her waking up in a cell.  If she’d been in her time, the time she’d grown to adopt as her own…she’d be in a hospital (sure, if they found a weapon it would be handcuffed to a bed possibly) and most likely surrounded by her friends and colleagues.  Not here.  She was in a cell and her head was pounding.  How long had she been there?  How much time had she lost?  
   
The door opened and she was about to ask questions when the person who appeared shocked her.  She hadn’t called for him.  Perhaps word had been sent out?  How would they know her name?  Helen thought of everything that had been on her person when she’d jumped through the portal.  This morning, she’d never thought she’d find herself back in London in 1898.   
   
“Are you sure, Sir?” a voice asked.   
   
“Yes,” he said with a positive nod.  He entered the cell and held out his hand to her.  “This is Doctor Helen Magnus.”  She took his hand and he helped to pull her to her feet.   
   
He had questions; she could see it in his eyes.  Though when did he not have questions?  Could she reveal things to him?  Would he be able to hold onto those secrets?  Was it even fair to him?  She allowed him to guide her where he wanted.  She had to trust him.  There was no one else that she knew for sure she could trust.   
   
It took them several minutes, but eventually they made it out and back to the streets of London.  He’d collected her things and had her wear his jacket.  It was sweet and yet she had so much to do.  She had to find Adam.   
   
“Are you going to tell me what is going on?” he asked.  “Why you’re dressed like you are?  What possessed you to do that with your lovely hair?”  
   
A small smile pressed forward.  “Thank you, James.  For…rescuing me,” Helen said.  How she’d love to just spend an hour more with her friend.  She still mourned his death.  Yes, James Watson lived a full life, more than a normal one, in the timeline she’d come from but how she missed him.  He’d always been there for her.   
   
“Helen—“  
   
“James, I—“  
   
“You’re bleeding,” he interrupted and stepped forward.  He swept stray strands that had come out of place away.  “You’re going to need that looked at.”  
   
“I can tend to it.”  
   
“I have to at least insist on walking you home.”  
   
Helen thought for a moment.  In this whole world, who could she trust more than James Watson?  Of The Five, he was always the one that had been there for her and was the most dependable.  Of course, James Watson in 1898 could right well commit her for telling him the insane reality that was currently going on.  Suddenly she felt sick, she stopped and bent over a bit.  Was this why she was feeling so off?  Were there side effects?  If she was dying, there was no Praxis to save her this time.   
   
“Helen?”  
   
She waited a moment and though it didn’t pass…it got better.  Her head was still pounding and she was fighting snapping at James.  She knew that a lot rested on her, but she needed this friend.  She needed this alliance.   She needed James to be her rock as she remembered him.  “I think I’m okay now,” she said as she straightened.   
   
James pulled her closer now.  He put one arm around her back and held her arm with the arm that crossed in front of him.  “Now there is no getting rid of me until I know that you’re safely home.”  
   
“Thank you, James.”  
   
“Anything for you, Helen.  You know that,” he said as he started to guide her in the right direction.  
   
“I have a story to tell you,” she spoke up after a moment.  Helen knew that this would change things forever.  Especially for James and her past self.  She was putting him in a curious spot.  She trusted him to tell her to stop telling him the reality of his/her future and to tell her the truth of being able to help.  She was sure that James could be that forward with her.  He cared about her deeply; she doubted that it mattered to him what time she was from.   
   
.   .    .  
   
She’d stopped Adam Worth.  His daughter would die…again.  Helen honestly wasn’t sure what she would do if she could go back to the point where they had injected Ashley and experimented on her and stopped them.  Tears formed in her eyes at the thought of holding her daughter in her arms again.  It felt like yesterday when she was small and running around the grounds of the sanctuary.   
   
“James, what if I told you that I know why John’s changed?” she asked.   
   
So far, her friend had done a spectacular job keeping her past self from seeing her.  She was just hoping that everything that she was doing wasn’t weighing too heavily on him.  He’d been shocked when she’d explained about Adam Worth and how she’d almost already died because of him.  She hadn’t brought up John until now…  What if she owed it to John to try and fix things?  That’s what he had wanted to do.  To go back before they’d taken the source blood and stopped them all.  How would things be different?  How different would the world end up being?  She’d been angry at him before, but as she’d lived in that time again…she understood what he meant.  How would things have been if none of them had taken the source blood?  Would she have been married?  Would she have been happy?  Would she and John had a family?  
   
“Please don’t make excuses for his bad behavior, Helen,” James spoke up.  
   
“The source blood, it caused John to have the ability to teleport,” she stated.  “But that’s not all that happened…  An abnormal, one that’s being as based and only existed as energy has taken control of him…  That’s where his violent tendencies come from.”  
   
“If that’s true, then how can we save him?”  
   
“I’m not sure that can be achieved in this time,” Helen admitted.  “Before, we had to shock John with a lot of electricity…and I mean a lot.”  
   
“And that fixed him?”  
   
“The abnormal stayed present, but it hibernated during this time,” Helen explained.  
   
“It’s not something we could generate now?”  
   
Helen shook her head.  “I don’t think so.  Not unless we were to tie him to a lightning rod during a storm.”  
   
“No storm coming soon that I know of.”  
   
She smirked.  “I doubt John would really appreciate that.”  
   
“If it spares you from spending another moment crying because of him then I don’t care what it takes.  I’ll track him down and tie him to some lightning rod myself,” James told her.  
   
Helen smiled brightly at him and found him smiling back at her.  “You’ve always been such a sweetheart.”  
   
“Flattery...will get you everywhere with me, Helen,” James told her as he beamed at her.  “How about some tea?  We can discuss things then?”  
   
.   .    .  
   
   
It was innocent enough and at first, Helen thought that maybe there wouldn’t be a huge impact on the future.  Adam had managed to save his daughter.  She’d formulated a plan to end Imogene’s life in a way that would look like her condition had returned, but James had stopped her.  He had been passionate and upset with her.  It was an odd thing, seeing that James…the James that she had been friends with so long ago.  She and James had grown old together and with it…they’d both changed in her time.  He’d asked her, “What harm could a little girl do?”  And she didn’t have a valid answer.  If she’d been able to go back and save her daughter, would that be so wrong?  What harm would she do?    
   
She and James talked a lot.  It seemed like everything and yet…she had to remember that she couldn’t spoil the future for him.  Not completely anyways.  She’d brought up her concern about John and wondered if they really should try to interfere in things.  What would happen if John had led a more normal life?  She was pretty sure she knew and right now Helen just really couldn’t fathom the thought of that life.  But did she deserve the continual heartbreak?  Did Ashley deserve being lied to and to grow up without a father?  Would John’s positive continued presence help better the Sanctuary Network?  
   
“You have to make the decision and then just hope for the best,” James told her.  “For all our sakes.”  
   
“It’s not that easy,” she argued.  
   
“It is,” he insisted.  “If you over think everything, then nothing will ever be accomplished.”  
   
She shook her head.  “You don’t understand.  It’s more than a hundred years of history that I would be impacting…for better or for worse with any change.”  
   
“Adam Worth’s future self cured his daughter...she didn’t die,” James pointed out.  
   
“And I still can’t be sure what the future outcome will be from that tampering,” Helen told him.  “Lives are at stake here, James.  A whole century of lives…”  
   
“Helen,” he said.  
   
She turned and found him staring at her.  She looked into his eyes.  “What?” she asked.  Helen waited as patiently as she could as James remained silent for a long moment.   
   
“Stop thinking.  Just make the decision.  Cure John or allow your future to replay.”  
   
“It isn’t that simple!” she shouted this time, getting quite worked up over how easily James seemed to think these decisions were.   
   
James sighed.  “Would your decision to keep the future how it is result in my Helen’s happiness?”  
   
“No,” she said simply.  
   
“Would he hurt her?”  
   
“In different ways, yes.”  
   
“And if you changed things…if John were…unaffected by this Abnormal?” James questioned.  “Theoretically…the change in his demeanor would be for the better?”  
   
“Absolutely.”  
   
“Then why is it such a hard decision?”  
   
She shook her head and began to pace.  “Why do you think these are such easy decisions, James?”  
   
“Helen, I have been your friend for some time.  I do not wish to see you so unhappy…my Helen so unhappy…  So, for her sake…and yours, I would say to take the more joyous life.”  
   
“James…”  
   
“It’s not easy for me to tell you this, Helen,” he told her quite seriously.   
   
She stopped pacing.  “I know it’s not.”  
   
“Did we…ever…?”  
   
Helen smiled.  “Not really…  I mean, don’t get me wrong.  You were…are…my very dearest friend, but I really couldn’t commit to a relationship after John…  It was too hard.”  She paused for a moment and looked down at her hands.  “And maybe…in truth,” she said quietly.  “It was too frightening to open myself to such a chance again.”  
   
“So, allow my Helen to find love with him…”  
   
So, she and James worked together and found a way to produce enough energy to hit John with.  It was tricky and there was some danger involved, but no more danger than she was used to.  During this time, she’d found out that Adam Worth (the future one) had been killed, apparently in some alleyway.  She really wasn’t sure what to make of it.  Who had actually done it, she and James had never discovered.   
   
Luring John there had proven far easier than she’d ever expected.  He’d arrived with anger in his voice and hatred in his eyes.  To look at him like that, she wondered how she’d ever fallen in love with him in the first place.  She knew he hadn’t always been like that, but to see him like that…   
   
The time had to have been exactly right.  They needed a storm.  It was England though, so there was no problem with storms.  It rained quite often and they managed to be lucky with the lightning that evening.  Zapping John had been fairly simple in fact, but reviving him had scared her.  She didn’t admit it to James, but she’d been afraid that they’d really killed him.  That she’d really killed him and something inside her died for a few moments.  Even though she had such bad feelings for her John, something inside of her mourned his brief loss now.  Why did he have to affect her so?  
   
“Helen?” John breathed.  
   
She kept back tears and just smiled down and softly touched his face.  How innocent he now looked.  “You’re going to be okay, John.  There was an energy inside of you that was making you do all those things…but you’re safe now…”  His eyes closed and she allowed a few tears to roll down her face.  She turned to James.  “He can’t know that I was here…that he was helped…  It’ll only confuse things between him and your Helen.”  
   
“I can take him back to his residence,” James told her.  “I’m assuming he will probably sleep it off.  He’ll wake up in the morning and believe it was merely a dream.”  
   
“I hope they’re happy,” she whispered as she looked down at this past John that she’d originally fallen in love with.   
   
“I hope they are as well,” James echoed quietly.  
   
She felt James’ hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.  She closed her eyes and reached up to squeeze the offered hand.  “I just hope I did the right things…”  
   
“What has happened to make you so unsure of yourself?” James asked.  “I can understand why you are so bitter and think so much…  I know a Helen that tells me her mind and then proves me wrong often enough.”  
   
She smiled a little at the memories she had with James…with all of them.  She missed her dear old friends.  They were The Five.  In her timeline, could they even be considered The Three at this point?  John was angry with the world and she was angry with him and he was unpredictable.  Tesla was even more unpredictable and went back and forth between being helpful and wanting to take over the world with a vampire army.  “I was so angry with him before I came here…” she spoke up softly.   
   
“John?  Why?”  
   
“He’d told me he’d killed Adam.  In our time.  He hadn’t.  He’d actually made a deal with Adam, to go back…to before we took the Source Blood.  He wanted to change things.   He wanted to prevent us from injecting ourselves with it.  He said he’d done it for me.”  
   
“That’s…sort of sweet…considering how things have turned out thus far that I’ve witnessed,” James told her.  
   
“To me,” she said.  “At that time…”   Helen breathed and tried to push all the emotions down.  “It felt like he hated who I had become…  That he just wanted your Helen back…  All I could think of was all I had built.”  She looked over at her shoulder at him.  “All that we had built.   I couldn’t imagine tampering with history…not like this…and changing all of that.”  
   
“Believe in us, Helen,” James whispered.  “Believe that what will happen will be better.”  
   
“I guess I have to,” she replied.  
   
It didn’t take long to move John.  She’d helped James; she’d felt compelled to see it through.  But now that they were out in the streets of London, making their way back towards James’ residence, she found herself feeling like she’d done what she’d come there to do.  She just hoped that things worked out.  “I think perhaps I’ve outstayed my welcome,” she told him quietly.  
   
“What will you do now?” James asked.  
   
“I’m not sure, honestly,” Helen admitted truthfully.  “I feel like…I’ve lived my life.  I’ve outlived dear friends and family…  Maybe it’s finally my time.”  In truth, this wasn’t the first time she’d felt like just giving up.  It had been hard to keep carrying on with all the loss and obstacles in her life.  After Ashley…  To have a child die before her parents was so tragic, she’d heard it before but experiencing it…  The world had felt like it was shattering around her.  She’d frozen her embryo and waited to actually have Ashley until she thought that the world would be safe enough for her daughter.  It still wasn’t safe…  Would it ever be that safe?  And then when she’d followed John to Cambodia, she’d found him finally and just laid there with him…in that moment she would have been fine to have never woken up again.  It’d felt like old times, of more simpler and innocent times…times that seemed to no longer exist.  
   
“Helen!  You’re not talking about—“  
   
“No,” she told him quickly.  “But…  Perhaps I will venture somewhere I have yet to visit,” she told him.  “Though I’ve done what I think are great works in my lifetime, I feel like perhaps I wouldn’t mind if I didn’t keep living on in this abnormal sense.”   
   
James nodded.  “Just promise me you won’t do anything rash.”  
   
“I promise, James,” she told him with a smile.  His concern for her welfare was so endearing.  She stopped and hugged him and kissed his cheeks before bidding him farewell.   
   
Of all the mistakes she’d made in her lifetime, Helen Magnus was fairly sure that she’d made a great number of mistakes while revisiting 1898 London.  She’d gone there to retrieve Adam Worth and to keep him from changing the timeline.  She’d changed so many lifelines.  Adam’s ability to save Imogene wouldn’t go unnoticed and it wasn’t the only mistake that she’d made…  
   
   
.   .    .  
   
TBC…

  
  
  



	2. Legacy

Chapter 2 – “Legacy”

 

The world changes everyday and I find myself always amazed at the choices that bring them to that exact point. A very smart man likes to remind me on a daily basis that we are not the choices we make, but rather the legacy we leave in the world. Sometimes that’s hard to grasp and sometimes it’s much easier. Over a hundred years ago, my circle was very small. My closest friends were all peers and at the time I believed that we all were trying to pursue, more or less, the same things. That wasn’t entirely true, but I thank God everyday for the dear friends that are still close to me.

Though my mission is to protect abnormals from the world and from themselves, I have realized that in the end…my family and friends are the most important components of my life. I find myself coveting those I hold close every day and hoping that one day I will stop outliving all of those I love and care about.

 

Old City Sanctuary, Present Day

“Why am I wearing a dress again?” Ashley asked.

“Because Helen likes to torture us just a bit?” Halia suggested to her sister.

Helen sighed. “I am standing directly behind you,” she spoke up. “You can both see me in the reflection of the mirror.” She shook her head. It was Halloween. So, instead of wearing “normal costumes” as her children called them, she and James had decided that they should wear formal Victorian era dress. It was sort of a nod to the children’s heritage, but they really didn’t see it that way.

Ashley had always been a tomboy. She honestly wasn’t sure if it was because she’d frozen her embryo and waited to bring Ashley into the world she lived in now rather than just having her in the Victorian era. Maybe her daughter would have been more into dresses if she’d just had Ashley when she was naturally due. There were pros and cons in every decision and her decision to wait to have Ashley had really probably ended up being better for all involved. Her beautiful and intelligent daughter had grown up in a loving family and though her biological father didn’t know about her until she was five, John made the effort to do things with Ashley (and even the other children) from time to time.

Halia wasn’t Helen’s biological daughter, but she’d raised the girl since the age of nine. Halia was actually John’s daughter, he’d had a brief relationship after he’d found out about Ashley and found out much later that it had produced a daughter. Her mother and stepfather had passed and so unable to care for her himself, John had brought the girl to the Sanctuary. She had taken the girl in without a thought, how could she not? She was Ashley’s sister…and at the time, she hadn’t planned on having more children besides Ashley.

Her two oldest looked so beautiful. Ashley was in a pale green dress; her blonde hair was pinned up in curls and adorned properly. Halia was in a pale blue dress, her hair blonde hair was arranged up with a small decorative hat pinned in place. Helen had to admit that she loved the fact that there was some balance between the girls. Though five years apart, Halia was far more frilly. She often wore pink and purple while Ashley normally wore black or grey. Halia was also very interested in sewing and doing hairstyles. The girls also shared the same power, the power to transport…which was just another thing to bond over.

“Are you quite ready?”

Helen turned to the voice. Her husband was standing there and looking quite handsome. He’d been helping their youngest and only son, Lucas, get ready. Their youngest was quiet and so smart, he took much after his father. He was nine and the only reason he’d gone along with it at all was because of his father. Plus, they were expected others to join them in matching era costumes, so it wouldn’t be mostly girls in their group.

“Look at you two,” James said with a bright smile once the door was opened. “You’re absolutely beautiful… I mean, I knew that, but you shine so much brighter. He entered the room and crossed it to hug his two “daughters”. Helen and James (and even John) had agreed long ago that no matter what happened between them, that they would always be one family. It was important. James kissed their foreheads and then made his way back towards Helen. “And you, my dear,” he said and then paused. He took her hands in his. “You bring back such wonderful old memories.”

She smiled at him. They had been married for some time now. Originally, she and John had been together…back in London. Things had gotten better between them, it was like night and day, but in the end things just didn’t work out. They were still friends, but not lovers. They only fought. James had always stuck at her side, a close friend. Finally, they married and ever since then…her life had been quite happy. She couldn’t imagine her life differently. “And where is Charley?” Helen asked.

“Most likely entertaining our guests.”

“Are they here already?” she asked and pulled a pocket watch that was attached to her dress. Time had gotten away from her. “We better be sure to get some pictures before we leave. The children will not look so neat if we don’t do it now.”

James nodded and turned to find their son there. “What is it, Lucas?”

“Charley is being annoying,” Lucas complained.

“She’s your sister, totally her job,” Ashley told him as she crossed the room. She reached down and ruffled his dark short hair before picking her baby brother up.

“Ashley, mind your dress,” Helen told her.

“Yep!”

Helen sighed and put her arm around Halia as they followed with James. They were expecting friends, their extended family. Helen just hoped that they’d all made it. It was supposed to be a fun evening. It would be ending with a dinner at the Sanctuary. And the children would get all the candy they wanted from trick or treating. Of course, she and James would have to also listen to some complaints along the way, she was sure.

They entered the foyer of the house and she found before her assembled everyone she’d expected. She smiled brightly and was glad to see that everyone was in Victorian dress as well. It did bring back memories, good memories. She was so glad that she and James had decided to do this. It would be a fun evening.

“We’re already running late,” Charley spoke up.

Charley was her youngest daughter and probably the most outspoken and cheeky and at the young age of fourteen. Charley was parading around in her pink dress; her brown hair was pinned up as well. She looked rather pressed still considering that she’d been unsupervised in her dress for so long. Her curls didn’t even look out of place. Helen was impressed.

“We have all the time in the world, darling,” Helen told her daughter gently. She and James stood together, arm in arm. They faced their assembled guests and Helen really had to hold back tears of joy. How thankful she was for these people to be in their lives. “Before we go, I’d like a few pictures, if you don’t mind.”

“Never know when we’ll be able to convince you all to dress up like this again,” James spoke up.

There was laughter and arranging so that people were in family groups. It took a couple of minutes, but eventually they were arranged and pictures were taken. Helen and James (and the children) greeted their guests and then headed out. They didn’t have too many younger children, but it would still be a lovely night out.

“How are you both doing?” Helen asked.

Henry smiled. “I saw you like five hours ago.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t like to be polite,” she told him with a smile. Henry Foss had been at the Sanctuary for some time. He and his wife lived in the house as well, along with their son. Erika and Henry had married only three years before and had a beautiful two year old, Alex. “I am glad you all decided to come out tonight. I know it’s been a long week.”

“But the system is working, so we’re good,” Henry told her.

“We are completely prepared for anything,” Erika added.

“Good to hear,” Helen told them. Up ahead she could see two other residents of the Sanctuary. Doctor Will Zimmerman and Clara Griffin had been convinced to join them. The two were dating and normally wouldn’t be bothered to come along, but she was pretty sure that her children had guilt them in coming along. Either way, she was happy to see them.

“Helen,” a voice spoke up. “James.”

They both turned to see John Druitt standing there. He had said he wanted to come, but hadn’t been sure if he’d make it or not. Sure enough, here he was and dressed like the rest of the group. “It’s good to see you,” she said politely.

“I’m glad you could join us,” James added.

“The children look absolutely lovely,” John noted.

“You missed Ashley’s complaining about her dress,” Helen told him.

John smiled. “She’s never been too fond of dresses…or pink…”

“So true,” James spoke up. “I’m going to go on ahead and make sure that the children remember their ‘thank you’s.” He left Helen and John to talk. He knew that sometimes the two needed their time.

“This was really an excellent idea,” John told her. “And I’m very glad you invited me.”

She turned to him. “Are you going to stay? I’d like photos of you with the girls.”

“That would be good,” John replied.

“You haven’t seen them in months, you know,” Helen pointed out. She looked with concern towards John. “Have you not been feeling well? You used to come by every week…but lately…we’ve not seen you.”

“I don’t know,” John admitted. “I nearly didn’t come because I was angry…but at what, I cannot say.”

Helen frowned. James had figured out some time ago that some energy being inhabited John’s body and a large jolt of electricity would force it out. Every now and then, John would seem “sick” and “angry” for no reason. The only thing they could come up with was that when he transported, the energy being could occupy the same space as John. They had zapped him several years ago, but it’d been a while… She hated doing it, though. Helen always sent the children away; it just wasn’t safe for them.

“I didn’t want to be around the girls like this…. I’ve had this awful feeling that I’d hurt one of them…” John confided. “I couldn’t live with myself, if that happened. That’s why Halia lives with you, Helen.”

“I just…” Helen started and then stopped. She took a moment to breathe and to think. “I didn’t tell you about Ashley…and when you found out… When I did it, when I didn’t tell you, I thought it was for the best. I thought that her growing up with James as her father would be for the best, but John…Ashley needed you. You understand things that James and I just don’t understand. Is our family stronger how it is?” She paused for a moment. “Yes… We’re so blessed, John. Not only do these children have all three of us, but they have our friends here…this is ultimately our family. If only Griffin could see them…”

“Nikola didn’t come?”

“He’s busy apparently,” Helen told him. “Which is fine… I really didn’t want to go out and stock my basement with wine.”

John smiled at her. “He does go through a lot of it, doesn’t he?”

“He wipes out all the good stuff, at that!”

They laughed. It was refreshing. This was for the better, she knew that. Even though she still cared for John, things were always a little tense. He seemed to not know his place, she was sure he was treading lightly, but she was happy that he’d decided to come along. It was good for the children…and good for him. “When we’re done…done for the night, I want you to promise to let me look you over…”

“I promise, Helen,” he replied.

“Good,” she said as she reached up and patted his arm before linking arms with him. It was just like old times. “Let’s catch up with the children then, shall we? It’ll let you talk for a bit with Ashley and Halia.”

“Whatever you say, Helen.”

. . .

TBC…


	3. Family Business

Chapter 3 – “The Family Business”

 

Though they’d never been too keen on bringing their kids into the evils of the world, Helen and James ended up finding it necessary. All of their children were abnormals in some way. Ashley and Halia’s abilities were far more ‘useful’ in some situations while the younger two were blessed with long live and intelligence. The world wasn’t as it once was. There was acceptance, but there were still some who opposed such a changing world.

 

“Why must we do this?” Lucas asked as he lifted his mask.

Their children attended public school and then received additional instruction at home. They both wanted to instill certain languages into their children along with histories and even ways to defend themselves. Though they wanted their children to have a childhood, they knew that it was possible for them to face adversity in the world and they would rather they be prepared for it.

“Fencing is an art,” James told his son. “Possibly a lost art.”

“So, why do we have to learn it?”

“One day, your mother and I will not be there and you may need this skill,” James told him. “You and all of your sisters… You’ve seen Halia and Ashley… Sometimes we don’t know what will lay before us or what skills will be of use.”

“Don’t you use guns and stuff?” Charley asked as she lifted her mask.

Helen had been watching them from the sidelines and approached them. “Sometimes, but sometimes such weapons fail us. You will never know what the future will hold or what will be available to you. If all else fails, you will know a skill that most others will not.”

“If I master this lesson, father, can I have a sword?” Lucas asked.

“I want a sword too!” Charley chimed in.

“Perhaps this is an agreement that I can come to terms will, only if these swords will be kept on display in your rooms,” Helen told James.

“I agree,” he told his wife. “Though,” James said as he turned to the two young children. “In order to get your swords, you will have to complete several stages of fencing lessons. You must complete all three types: foil, sabre, and épée.”

“How long is that going to take?” Lucas asked.

“However long it takes,” James told his son.

“Patience is a virtue, remember?” Charley reminded her little brother.

“I don’t like that virtue,” Lucas argued.

“Don’t worry, neither does Ashley.”

The two giggled and Helen and James exchanged looks. “Okay then, enough of that. Why don’t you two run along and see if Biggie has some cookies and milk ready? I expect another half hour of fencing practice and then to the library to do some reading.” The two didn’t say anything, but just hurried out of the room and towards where cookies and milk awaited.

“Is it possible that there’s a way we can just keep them like this?” James asked her as he held out his hand to her.

She took it and moved closer to him. “I only wish it were an option,” Helen told him. “To be able to keep them like this…innocent and safe from the world. They will have the easiest time… At least Ashley and Halia are leaning that they cannot teleport in public…at least if it can be avoided,” Helen said.

“The world will be ready for them,” James told her. “We’ll see to that.”

“If if the world isn’t ready?”

James pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Then we, my love, will ensure that they are ready to live in the world.”

. . .

 

Her children were in bed and James was resting. Helen often stayed up late to go over files. Sometimes she did so in bed, but tonight she was busily working on a file that she didn’t want James to see. For some time, she’d been working towards keeping James alive and as independent as possible. For some time he wore a complex machine, but she’d been able to phase him out of that. As she did with everyone in the Sanctuary, she ran scans monthly and the current results worried her. She just didn’t want to lose anyone else.

She closed her eyes and held her hand to her forehead. Helen had been plagued with headaches as of late. She wasn’t sure what was causing them, but she wouldn’t be surprised if stress was a factor. Her children were growing up and she feared for their acceptance and their places in the world. Her husband wasn’t doing as well as she hoped and she wasn’t sure if she’d manage to put together an effective treatment.

“You should sleep,” Biggie said.

“I’m not tired,” she lied. “I have a lot to do anyways.” Helen, in truth, was tired. She’d be very happy to crawl into bed and just lie there besides James. He always made her relax and feel safe. But tonight, he was on her mind. She wanted to ensure that he’d be there to see their children grow up.

It had taken some time for her to finally decide to actually be in a romantic relationship with James and even more time to decide it was time to have a family. After her time with John, she’d been scared. In part, because her relationship with John had been violent with her in the beginning and then when they’d broken it off…it had broken her heart. They’d gotten through so much and then it was just gone. It had taken her some time to trust and open her heart like that again. It was even more complicated when John had found out about Ashley.

Maybe she was selfish, but Helen wanted to keep her world in the manner she’d grown accustom. She wanted the peace and solace that could be found there. She wasn’t sure if she could go to the dark places or if she could let the dark take her over if she lost James. At least John, he was involved in her children’s lives but James’ death…that would be permanent. She wouldn’t allow that. He would live. She would make it so that he could continue. If it was time for him to die, then she hoped by then that truly it would be her time and their children would be grown up and able to care for themselves.

“You’re worried about James, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Biggie told her. “You always do.”

“I need to do it now.”

“There’s always tomorrow.”

“John will be here for treatment soon…and then I have to figure out one for James,” Helen told him. “It seems like no matter how hard I try, I’m losing the people that I have cared about for more than a hundred years.”

“I will help you in any way I can, you know that.”

She smiled and nodded. “I know…and I appreciate it, my friend.”

“How about tea?”

“That would be lovely,” she told him as she turned back to her work.

 

. . .

 

Alarms sounded.

Helen felt like she’d just closed her eyes. She’d been up much of the early morning working and had been finally been forced to bed. She and James were out of bed and wrapped in robes and hurrying down in the halls in no time. The alarms could mean many things. None of which were ever good. Her first priority was always Lucas and Charley. Ashley and Halia were old enough to know their protocol and also had their abilities to teleport.

James had Lucas and she had hurried Charley into her robe and slippers. They’d met in the hallway and Halia was waiting. They had a protocol in place for the children. The safest place in the Sanctuary was the crypt area. It was certainly grim, but it would be the very last place that any invader or escapees would head. The children had all been there enough to know that there was nothing to fear.

“I’ll take them,” Halia said. “Ashley’s getting Alex.”

“You will stay there, right? Once you get there, I don’t want any of you to move until we come for you.”

“I know the protocol,” Halia said as she pulled Lucas and Charley closer. “We hold tight and don’t move. There’s a kit there with flashlights, food, water, and sleeping bags.”

Helen nodded, it was hard but they also had to hurrying. She leaned down and kissed Halia’s forehead and then moved onto Charley and Lucas. James did the same before they both stepped back. “We’ll see you all soon.” They were all gone within moments. They hurried to see if they could find why the alarms had gone off.

Everyone in the Sanctuary would be mobilizing. It was one of the reasons why they had their protocols in place. Ashley and Halia took charge of the children and they were kept in a safe place until they were retrieved. It kept them all at ease to know that they were safe and taken care of.

“It’s just an alarm,” Henry spoke up.

“I figured that it was an alarm,” Helen said.

“Which one?”

“The SHU. Looks like one of abnormals was getting a bit hostile,” Henry said and brought up the cell in question. “It doesn’t look like there was a breach.”

“Can you scan it to make sure?” James asked.

“I’m already on it,” Erika told them.

Helen sighed. “Well, good to know that we’re all prepared.”

“I hated handing Alex over,” Erika confided. “But to know that he’s safe…that does mean everything.”

“I know what you mean,” Helen said quietly.

Erika took a few minutes of looking over her screen. “It looks like the glass is just cracked. I’m thinking that it’s just going to need to be replaced.”

Henry frowned. “Doc, do we really need to replace it now?”

“No,” Helen spoke up. “I’ll oversee them being transferred to another cell for now. We can do repairs on their cell later.”

“You sure?” Henry asked.

“I’m sure Biggie will have no problems helping me.”

“You know I’ll help as well,” James told his wife.

“The children will need to be retrieved.”

Will and Clara walked in. “Perimeter is secured as well as all assess points,” Will reported.

“It’s an alarm in the SHU. One of the cells has a crack,” Henry told him.

“We really need to like color-code the alarms,” Clara told Helen.

“I’ll take it under advisement,” Helen told her. “I’m sorry to wake you all. Why don’t you all head back to bed?”

“I’d like my son back,” Erika said.

Helen smiled and nodded. She looked over at James. “Would you mind retrieving the children and tucking them back into bed?”

“You’re exhausted, Helen,” James said. “I can handle moving the inhabitants of that one cell to a new one. “

She was about to argue, but then Biggie arrived and James left the room before she could say anything more. “Sometimes I wonder if people actually listen to me,” she mumbled. She received smiles for her comments. “Come on, Erika. Let’s retrieve Alex, shall we?”

. . .

 

It didn’t take long for her and Erika to make it to the crypt. Once it was unlocked and opened, Erika spent no time before getting her sleeping son and heading out. Her children, on the other hand, were all wide awake. “How about some hot chocolate and then everyone back into bed?”

“Do we have to go to school tomorrow?” Charley asked, a tad whiney. She was rubbing her eyes and obviously sleepy.

Helen sighed. “I suppose you could all be called out sick for tomorrow…today…” Before she could complain, Ashley and Halia surrounded them and transported them up to the kitchen. She sighed and looked at them both. “What did I say about doing that too much?”

“What? I really wanted hot chocolate,” Ashley told her mother as she pulled open the refrigerator to retrieve the milk. “Plus, they little ones are just going to get crankier the more you make them walk around.”

Halia was already retrieving mugs from the cupboard. “You know… I just follow Ashley’s lead.”

“Oh nice,” Ashley teased. “Blame me.”

Halia smirked at her sister.

“Sometimes you’re a bad influence,” Lucas said.

“You just say that because you’re a boy,” Charley told her brother.

Helen shook her head at the children. She already had a pot on the stove and was retrieving hot chocolate mix from the cupboard. Normally she would actually melt down chocolate into the milk and mix it together, but she was in a hurry…mainly because she was exhausted and afraid to fall asleep on her feet. She wanted to make sure her children got put to bed and make sure that James was okay. Biggie was with him, so she knew he’d be okay but she wouldn’t be able to rest easy until her husband was in bed as well.

“Mummy?” Charley spoke up. “When will we be able to help when alarms go off?”

She’d already poured in the milk and had added the mix and was now stirring it up as it heated over the flame. She looked down at her youngest daughter. “You all have very important jobs…and for the time being everyone will continue to do the jobs they have at the moment. I need all of you safe…and I need Ashley and Halia to stay with you all to make sure that things are kept safe. Plus, Alex needs to be kept safe as well.”

“But we could help in other ways.”

“My darling Charley, you will possibly never know how much you help doing what you do when the alarms go off. Your father and I knowing that all four of you are safe and that you have Alex. It keeps all of us on track. We’re able to think clearly and are not worrying for your safety, which in turn…keeps the rest of us safe.” Helen wasn’t sure if her daughter would understand, but she was fourteen. She was bright. Charley would understand, though maybe not as deeply as was possible.

“I just wish we could help more,” Charley told her.

“You will,” Ashley told Charley. “When you’re old enough you’ll be able to apprentice. You’ll figure out where you’ll fit best in the whole system…and everywhere else you’ll moonlight. You’ll have a place, you just have to be a little you know…older…”

“I want to be older now.”

“Well, I think you need to be a little taller, too,” Ashley told her baby sister. “You know there’s no way you’ll be able to do some of it unless you’re at least three inches taller. Just make sure you each all your veggies and you’ll be that tall in no time.”

“I wish I could stop you all from growing,” Helen confided as she poured the hot chocolate into the mugs lined up along the counter. “If I could just pause time.”

“Sorry Mom, we’re all going to be like grown up and out of the house in no time,” Ashley teased.

Helen just glared a bit at her eldest daughter. She hated that thought, to be separated from her beloved children. She wanted to hold them close, always. Picking up one of the mugs, she sipped on it and smiled when she saw James and Biggie enter the kitchen.

“Is there more?” Biggie asked.

“Yes, grab two more mugs,” she told them.

. . .

 

After hot chocolate, she and James had tucked in the children. Ashley and Halia didn’t really require being tucked in, but they kissed them both goodnight. She’d sang to both the younger children and then once they’d returned to their bedroom, she’d allowed her robe to just drop to the floor. She was exhausted.

James had crawled in next to her and had held her. “Sleep, my love,” he whispered. “I’m here.”

She reached up and held onto the arms that held her safe. She didn’t want to lose James and the thought still hung heavily in her mind. Helen sighed and closed her eyes. She felt his kisses on her face and soon felt her body relaxing enough to let her drift away. Sleep overcame her in no time.

“Sleep, my love. The sun will rise and we’ll figure everything out well after the sun rises,” James told her.

. . .

 

TBC…


	4. One Family

Chapter 4 – “One Family”

 

Breakfast was one of her favorite times at the Sanctuary. It was peaceful and everyone got together at the table. It was filled with laughter and chatting. There was rarely a morning when she felt like the day wasn’t going to go along very well. Most times that was because people were away or sick. They were a family there and it always impacted them heavily when someone else was gone or suffering.

“Good morning,” Magnus greeted brightly to the group already assembled at the table. She took in the pretty much standard food that was laid out. “Muffins? What kind this morning?” she asked.

“Biggie made us chocolate chip!” Ashley informed her mother, quite enthused with the pastry.

She sighed. Helen looked over at Biggie on the other side of the table, they’d had talks about this before but she couldn’t find herself to be mad. The children had been wanting chocolate muffins for…well, practically years. She supposed that someone had to break down and be the hero for them. “I swear you are all far too spoiled.”

“Why is this a problem?” Charley asked.

Magnus took her seat and looked over at her youngest daughter. “Because I swore to myself that your father and I would not spoil you all too much.”

“But Biggie’s not father,” Charley told her with a bright smile. “So, it’s okay!”

She found herself laughing as she reached out to snag one of the forbidden chocolate muffins. This was what she loved so much. They were missing a few from breakfast this morning, though. All of her children were present, but her husband was out with Henry, Clara, and Will. She expected them back soon, though. “Let’s hear about school subjects,” Magnus tried to prompt.

“French! I’m learning French!” Charley spoke up. “Okay…someone else’s turn.”

“You already know French,” Lucas pointed out.

Magnus smiled at Lucas. He was far too bright for his own good. She and James said that all the time. “That is true. I was hoping it was something new?”

“Okay, so they’re teaching not real French in my French class. The teacher apparently doesn’t know I speak it fluently,” Charley said. “I can’t help it that I’m smarter than the teacher…”

“Get used to it, kid,” Ashley spoke up. “It’s like a family pastime.”

“Ash—“ Magnus started and then stopped when she heard noise and voices in other areas of the house.

“Daddy’s home!” Charley said quite loudly and got up from her seat before hurrying out to investigate.

It wasn’t long before the table was vacant of her children, leaving only her and Biggie still there. They rose and headed out of the room as well. It was needed anyways; she needed to check to make sure there were no injuries to those who had returned. If she didn’t look them all over now, then they’d easily hide small injuries from her, which would just irritate her when she found them later.

“How did everything go?” she asked as soon as James came into sight.

“Just fine,” he responded as he approached her. “No injuries even. First time for everything, I suppose.”

“And the abnormal?”

“Already in the SHU,” James told her as he leaned in to kiss her.

Helen returned the kiss and smiled brightly at him when they pulled apart a moment later. “I’m glad things went so smoothly.”

“If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to go kiss my wife and son and get some rest,” Henry said before excusing himself.

“No breakfast?” Biggie asked.

“Maybe after my nap.”

Will and Clara took after Henry’s exit and excused themselves as well.

Helen wasn’t surprised though, it had been a long day for them and they were all rightly so exhausted. “James, perhaps you should…”

“I made sure we got here in time for breakfast,” James told her quickly. “I plan on having breakfast with my family… And once the children are off to school, then perhaps I’ll take a nap.”

She could see a twinkle in his eyes. James was always trying to ensure that he was there for family time and she appreciated it. She tried to do the same when she went out to look for abnormals, when James was home with the children. “I will warn you now,” Helen told him a bit quietly. “Chocolate chip muffins are set out this morning.”

“Oooo spoiling the children, are we?” he asked with a smile as he looked over at Biggie. “If they start bouncing off the walls, though, they’re under care.”

Biggie just grunted a response and smirked. “I can handle them,” he said a moment later.

“Father, can we maybe practice fencing more today?” Charley asked.

“Oh yes! Can we?” Lucas piped in.

They all moved back into the dining area where breakfast was still waiting. James sat with Helen, while the children sat about the table. Biggie was on one side, already working on finishing his breakfast.

“What did you do? Promise them swords or something?” Ashley asked teasingly.

“Actually…” James spoke up.

“Wait…wait… I didn’t get a sword,” Ashley spoke up.

“Neither did I!” Halia said.

“Well, now look what you’ve started,” she teased as she turned to her husband. She found it amusing. They’d never had to…negotiate so much with Ashley and Halia while they were being taught lessons at the Sanctuary. They had just gone along with it, though Ashley was always the one to complain about the more intellectual lessons while Halia complained about the more physical lessons. Maybe that was what worked so well for her two eldest daughters, they challenged each other but one always was a bit better in certain fields.

However, when it came to Lucas and Charley, they were very much alike. Ashley called them ‘the super twins’ even though they were nine and fourteen respectively. The two were different than Halia and Ashley in the fact that they seemed to excel equally in the same fields. They struggled in the same areas when it came to fencing and yet they both excelled when it came to language and history.

“Perhaps that oversight can be mended,” James told them.

The two girls squealed and exchanged high fives. Sometimes it amazed her at how absolutely happy her family was. Even though Ashley was not James’ biological daughter and Halia was neither hers nor James’ biological daughter, they were and had always been a family. She loved the look on the James’ face when he knew he’d done something that the children were excited about. “Don’t forget,” Helen told James and then turned to the older two. “Those swords are not to be wielded about, they are to be hung decoratively on the wall.”

“Come on,” Ashley complained.

“I will not sew you children up or worse yet have a fatal accident occur,” Helen told Ashley quite firmly.

“If the Sanctuary is attacked, THEN can we use them?”

“IF the Sanctuary is attacked and that’s your ONLY weapon, then YES, you may use your sword.”

“Happy subject,” James said sarcastically. “Let’s move on to something else, shall we?”

“Not school,” Charley requested.

“Why not?”

“It’s boring,” she informed her father.

“Ah,” James said. “Well, then. How about something exciting? An adventure.”

“An adventure?” Lucas and Charley asked in unison.

“Is it really something exciting or something that you and Mom think is exciting?” Ashley asked.

“I don’t even know what this adventure is,” Helen spoke up truthfully.

“You always know what’s going on, though,” Halia said and then immediately turned her attention to James. “What is it? What’s the adventure?”

“We’re all going on a trip,” James announced.

“A trip?” Helen asked. She was shocked. Normally trips were something that they discussed together. The children talked excitedly around them and she turned to him. “A trip to where? For what?” Normally all their trips had some kind of purpose. A purpose that sometimes involved merely an educational trip while most times it involved visiting her sanctuaries around the world. It’d actually been some time since their last trip.

“A trip…to Italy…for us,” James told her. “Family time. We never do that.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Biggie has already promised to mind the others while we’re away,” James assured. “Plus, it’s not like we’ll be unreachable.”

“Oooo I love Italy,” Ashley said cheerfully.

“I just remember we had gelato,” Halia said.

“We’ll just be seeing how well the children had learned Italian as well,” James told Helen with a bright smile. “And it’s Italy…so it has to be educational.”

 

. . .

 

“I can’t leave yet,” she told him. He looked worried.

 

“You know, you can’t save everyone, Helen,” James told her.

She looked away and looked out the window. “John said he’d come back. He needs the treatment. I can’t just ignore it. He’s the father of two of our daughters… I know it’s silly. Maybe you don’t understand. I know that Biggie and Will can administer the treatment, but I want to be here…to make sure it all goes smoothly.”

“I know you worry about your family,” James said and ran his fingers through her hair. “There’s nothing silly about that, my love. And I know John’s not the only one you worry about…” He turned her face so that she was looking at him. “If it’s my time, Helen—“

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” she told him. Tears started to flood her vision. “You have always been my one rock…and I will not allow you to leave this world if I can help it. You will live long enough to walk our daughters down the aisle and be there to stand by Lucas on his wedding day. And…”

“And die with you?” James asked.

“If God wills it, I hope so,” Helen told him. “Is that such an awful thing to wish?”

“No,” James told her. “Not at all.”

He pulled her into his arms and she allowed the tears to fall. It wasn’t often she showed such emotion, but when she did it was often with James holding her. It was like he had this power over her. He knew who she was…who she had been and possibly who she would be… Helen wasn’t sure what to really think of it, she just accepted it as just one of the many things she loved about him.

“Why don’t you let Biggie and I go out and look for him? Or maybe we can try sending him a message?” James asked.

“I thought about asking the girls, but honestly, I don’t want to worry them…”

“They may know, though…”

“I didn’t want them to go looking for him,” Helen admitted. “It’s dangerous out there…and then there’s the simple fact that if John has waited too long…they could happen upon his corpse.”

“They don’t have to go looking, but they may know where he may be,” James told her.

Helen shook her head. “They’ll want to help…and if we say no, they’ll still look.”

She’d protected her daughters this long from the dark side of John. She wasn’t about to disrupt their vision of their father now. Yes, they both knew that there was a dark side. That was why Ashley had been originally hidden from John and that was why John had felt the need to bring Halia to the Sanctuary. That didn’t mean that the girls didn’t deserve to remember them as they had all these years.

 

. . .

 

It took them sixteen hours to find John and James had deferred their flight and reservations off to another day. He’d been close to death when her Sanctuary contacts in Tokyo had found him. Ashley had gone there, Helen thanked God that Ashley had been to all of the sanctuaries and knew their interiors, and had instantly brought John back using her inherited abilities to teleport.

Helen had worked tirelessly on getting everything in order and prepped. There was the small matter of getting John to the point where he’d survive the procedure. There had been times before where John’s heart had stopped beating and he’d stopped breathing. She tried to avoid that when it was at all possible. Ashley hadn’t left her father’s side and so she wanted to also keep in mind her daughter. She shouldn’t have to watch her father die in front of her.

“Mom, is he going to be okay?” Ashley asked.

Helen frowned and approached Ashley. She was at John’s bedside and had been there ever since she’d brought him in. Helen still wasn’t sure how James was keeping Halia from her father. She honestly didn’t want both girls there worrying. This had been done before. On another hand, Helen was afraid that it might be a possibility that this very same procedure may have to be performed on Ashley and Halia in the future. She didn’t want to scare them if they saw the procedure.

“I hope so,” she told Ashley. Helen couldn’t be certain if this would work again or if John would survive. She wanted it to work. She wanted him to survive. But after everything, she just couldn’t promise such a thing. “He was weak when you brought him in, but we can’t wait much longer.”

“I know.”

“Ashley, I’m not comfortable with you staying during the procedure,” Helen told her daughter honestly.

Ashley looked over to her mother. “Why?”

“Because…” she started. Helen paused for a moment and then moved to Ashley. She held her hands out and Ashley placed her hands in her mother’s. Helen squeezed them for a moment. “Because I don’t want you to be here if there are any problems. I didn’t want you to see him like this… I want you and Halia to always remember him for the good things…not like this…”

“Mom, I’ve seen a lot in the Sanctuary…” Ashley told her. “I’m a big girl…”

“I just… I don’t know if he’s strong enough,” Helen said and looked from her daughter to John.

“I know,” Ashley whispered. “But I want to be here…”

“You’re absolutely sure?”

Ashley nodded.

Helen squeezed her daughter’s hands again and tried to give her a reassuring smile before letting them go. “You’ll have to stand with me during the procedure.” Ashley nodded. Helen took a deep breath and then spoke up. “Let’s begin then…”

. . .

 

“Do you want me to read to you?” Charley asked.

“That’s a very kind offer, but I think your mother has prescribed resting,” John told her. “We wouldn’t want her upset because I’m not following her medical orders.”

“I think being read to counts as resting,” Helen spoke up with a smile. “Though…something not too intense as far as the reading goes,” she told Charley.

John’s heart had stopped during the electric shocks, but she’d managed to revive him. When she’d turned to see the look on Ashley’s face, she swore if this happened again that her children wouldn’t be allowed to be present, no matter what. Ashley had turned pale and looked like she’d lost her father for good…even when she finally got a heartbeat. John was doing just fine and Ashley still looked like she was in shock.

“What is your favorite book?” John asked.

“I like a lot of books,” Charley told him. “I hate to pick just ONE.”

“What are some of your favorites?”

“I like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories…Alice in Wonderland stories…Jane Eyre…Pride and Prejudice…Harry Potter and the Twilight Series.”

Helen smiled as she watched Charley. She was quite happy with these times, happy for the choice that they’d made long ago to be ‘one family’. All of her children called both James and John ‘dad’ or ‘father’ or something along those lines. She felt like it probably helped keep John grounded as well, though he wandered…he always came home to his family…he always came back to the Sanctuary.

“Darling,” she said as she touched her daughter’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go and find a book and later you can read to John.”

“What about Ashley?” Charley asked, looking towards where her eldest sister was standing in a corner.

Ashley hadn’t left that corner since Helen had gone to try to resuscitate John. Helen had tried to get her daughter from her spot, but Ashley had insisted on staying in place. “We’re all going to go and allow John to take a little nap, okay?” she said towards Charley who reluctantly nodded.

“Have a good nap, Daddy John,” she said as she kissed him on the cheek. “You feel better and I will come back later and read to you. How about Through the Looking Glass?”

“I can’t wait, Sweetheart,” John told her with a smile.

Helen nudged her daughter in the direction of the exit before turning to Ashley. She looked back towards John. “You really do need to rest.”

“Is she okay?” John whispered, looking towards Ashley.

“I think just shaken,” Helen whispered back.

“Let me speak with her…”

“John, you need to rest.”

“Just a few minutes, Helen, please.”

She didn’t want to leave the room, but she nodded. John and Ashley were a lot more alike in a lot of ways. Helen looked back towards Ashley and then back to John. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to make sure you’re resting,” she told him before heading out of the room. She didn’t go far though, she could watch on the monitors…just to ensure that neither John nor Ashley were getting too worked up.

“Ashley…come here,” he said quietly.

Ashley didn’t move.

“Ashley… I’m fine… You and your mother saved me…”

“You died,” Ashley spoke up. “You were dead for two minutes.”

John was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry you had to see that… I knew the risks… In truth, Ashley…I would take that risk every day if it meant that I could be a good father for you… I’m not myself without the procedure,” John told her. “You know that.”

Ashley moved towards her father, her arms crossed over her chest. “What good is any of this going to do if you die?”

“If I die, Ashley…it is because there’s no other way. You know very well how violent I can get if that creature inside of me isn’t zapped. What would you have me do? I will not allow the creature to take hold of me again…and I will not allow it near you…or Halia…or Charley…or Lucas…or Helen…or James… I’ve hurt your mother in the past and James as well, I won’t do that any more. You have to understand.”

Tears fell from her eyes. “How can you be like business as usual? You died!”

John held out his hand. “I don’t want to hold onto those negative thoughts… The future is all that I try to hold to…”

“I just…don’t want to lose you,” Ashley said as the tears continued to fall and she grasped his hand. “You need to fight to stay with us…”

“Oh Ashley, I will always fight for you…” John told her softly as he squeezed her hand. “Know that.”

Ashley nodded. “You should rest,” she managed to get out a moment later.

John smiled and nodded as he leaned back fully to relax against his pillow. He closed his eyes.

Helen watched as Ashley exited the room and her daughter was there a moment later. She kept her eyes on the screen and used the controls to turn down the lights in John’s room.

“Is he really going to be okay…?”

“I believe so,” she said and then turned to her daughter. Ashley was looking downward, that wasn’t common. Helen approached her daughter and pulled her into a hug. “Your father is alive and in good spirits… Be thankful for that.”

“Do you think James will be upset if I stay behind?”

Helen took a step back to look at her daughter. “What do you mean?”

“The trip.”

“I doubt James is going to push to continue on with that…”

“You should go,” Ashley insisted. “We’ll go to Italy again… But you need it. You’ve been exhausted and looking like you’re coming down with something yourself. You could use a vacation…even if it happens to be with the three monsters.”

Helen smiled at her. “Are you quite sure? I’m sure James could take them…I could stay here with you…”

“Mom,” Ashley said as she wiped her tears away. “I’ve got Biggie and Henry and Will and Clara to all keep an eye on…and Erika and little Alex… I think we’ve got things covered here…”

“Okay,” she said quietly. “But you and I will plan a trip. Just the two of us. It’s been a while since we’ve done that.”

“Deal,” Ashley said with a smile.

Helen kissed her daughter’s cheek. “Make time to spend time with your father outside of the infirmary.”

“I can definitely do that,” Ashley told her.

“You’ll call if there’s any problems?”

“Of course.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”

. . .

 

“Are you absolutely certain about this, my love?”

Helen nodded. “Ashley wants to stay. I can’t fault her. Plus, she needs this time with John… I can’t deny either of them that.” The three children were already packed and frolicking in the foyer, while they packed. She had started to pack days ago, but when it was pushed off…she’d never finished.

“I can understand that,” James said as he finished packing his bag. He set it by the door and then made his way to their bed. He sat on the edge next to her and took her hand in his. “You’ve not packed yet…”

“I guess I’m just tired…”

James frowned. “I’m worried about you. You know that, right? You’ve been working yourself too hard and stressing yourself out. You’re going to be the next person in that infirmary…”

“Ashley noticed the same thing. I just…I know once we’re there I’ll be fine. The children will love Italy… I just worry about leaving them…”

James kissed the side of her head. “Love, let’s get you packed and let’s get on that plane…” He helped her to her feet and then they silently packed her bag together.

Helen knew that they were right, James and Ashley. She had been tired and stressed. She had started to feel like she was falling ill. She’d devoted herself to the Sanctuary, but her family had always come first. Could she really be faulted for being concerned about them? About James and John’s healths and the wellbeing of her daughters and son?

. . .

TBC…


	5. The Worth Heritage

Chapter 5 – “The Worth Heritage”

 

Though they’d tried to stay away from the sanctuaries around the world, they found themselves walking through the doors of the one located in Perci, Italy. It was a large sanctuary, mainly for the reason that it was so hidden and away from the rest of the crowded areas of Italy. It was also the reason why they’d chosen to stop at that one.

“If we had known you were going to be visiting, we would have invited you to our gala tonight,” Gaspare told them as he showed them into the Sanctuary that he headed. “You are, of course, invited if you wish to attend!”

“We should have checked the calendar of events for this section,” James told him. “But we honestly didn’t think we’d be stepping foot in on our vacation.”

Helen smiled as James and Gaspare chatted. Though they were on vacation, she and James always kept dressed as they would if they were traveling the Sanctuaries. James was dressed in his normal suit and Lucas was in a very close matching outfit. She was wearing a raspberry colored dress that fell to her knees and hugged her curves. It was sleeveless with a neckline that popped from its interesting collar and gold button detail. While their daughters were all in bright colored sun dresses. She was fairly confidant that Ashley was probably not minding missing being dressed up.

“Perhaps, we could attend? I would be more than happy to take Helen and the girls shopping,” James told Gaspare.

They didn’t have such lavish events at the Old City Sanctuary, but it might be a nice change. Helen just remained quiet. She had just wanted to come to merely speak to Ashley on the Perci Sanctuary’s video conferencing system. Ashley had checked in via phone, of course, but Ashley hadn’t seemed her self so she wanted the added benefit of seeing her face and body language.

“Do you mind if I go ahead and see myself to the video conferencing room?” Helen asked after a moment.

“Of course,” Gaspare said.

Helen nodded and smiled at him and headed off in the direction she knew the room was. She nodded and greeted people as she passed them in the hall. They were busy getting ready for the gala and she really didn’t want to be in the way, but she wanted to see her daughter at the same time.

It only took her a few minutes to call up the Old City Sanctuary and manage to get Ashley on the line. She’d ended up talking to Henry and then Erika about Alex and how she thought that he was coming down with something. She finally got Ashley and John all at once.

“Mom, I thought you were vacationing…not checking in on the Italy Sanctuary branches?” Ashley asked.

“I am,” she said. “Though apparently we’re coming back for the gala tonight… James is discussing it right now. Apparently he’d be thrilled to go dress shopping. I’m sure you’re glad you stay there.”

Ashley laughed lightly. “Shopping with James isn’t so bad.” She turned to her father. “But I’m glad I stayed. We’ve been hanging out…you know…father/daughter bonding time.”

“How are you feeling, John?”

“Fine, Helen,” John told her. “You shouldn’t worry so much. Enjoy Italy.”

Everything seemed fine. She supposed that Ashley may have seemed off if she were trying to get rid of her because she was spending time with her father. “I just…I just wanted to check in and make sure you were both okay is all.” How she wished that she could be there with them to ensure that things were really okay.

“We’re fine, really… Relax… Spend some time on a beach or something,” Ashley told her mother.

“Alright,” Helen resigned.

“I miss you, Mom.”

“I miss you, too.” She smiled a bit, there was something about the sentiment that made her feel a little better about the whole situation.

“I’ll call you later,” Ashley told her mother.

Helen nodded. “I’ll keep my phone close.”

“Have fun.”

“I will try.”

“Bye,” Ashley said as she waved and then cancelled the video conference.

She sighed and rubbed her head. Her head had started to pound a bit during the call. Helen thought that talking to Ashley would relieve stress and anything else she was feeling, but her head was hurting just the same now. Helen sat down for a moment and allowed her eyes to close. Her hand went to her head and she just breathed.

The sound of the door open didn’t even register until moments later when the voice broke her from the silence she’d been sitting in.

“Helen?”

James sounded worried and concerned and before she lifted her head and opened her eyes, she just hoped that the children weren’t with him. She didn’t want them worried as well. It was bad enough that Ashley already had picked up on the fact that she felt burnt out. She opened her eyes and noticed James’ shoes and then finally lifted her head. The children weren’t present and she was extremely thankful. “I’m fine, James.”

“Perhaps this gala is a bad idea,” he said as he took a seat next to her.

“No, it sounded like a good time. You know the girls will enjoy shopping for something to wear.”

James brushed her hair back out of her face. “This was supposed to be relaxing. I don’t want you to be here and be stressed out. Helen, if you’re that worried, I’ll have you taken back to Old City.”

“No, James. That’s not necessary. I am honestly relieved after seeing both Ashley and John are doing well. I think…it may be possible…that maybe I’m just a little burnt out.” She looked at him and smiled. Helen reached up and touched his cheek for a moment. “This is what I needed, James. It’s just taking me a little longer to relax.”

“Perhaps a nap before the gala? I can take the girls out to get their dresses,” James offered.

She leaned in and kissed him. “But I didn’t bring anything nearly appropriate enough for the gala. Plus, I need to be there in order to keep you from dismissing every dress that doesn’t meet Victorian age dress standards.”

He smirked. “I accompanied Charley last Christmas to pick out that green frock. The hemline was well above the knee. I believe it was even strapless.”

“You did,” Helen told him. “Though WELL above the knee for you is at the top of the patella. And if I remember correctly, you made sure you purchased a matching cardigan to go with her dress.” She smiled brightly at him. “Things have changed quite some time, haven’t they?”

“Possibly too much,” he replied, smirk still firmly in place.

“Plus, I’m pretty sure that Charley has mastered the art of getting whatever her little heart desires from her father,” Helen added after a moment. “She may seek your approval, but she also strives to get what she wants…no matter how much she has to charm you into getting it for her.”

“You make it sound like a super power,” he said with a small smile.

“Sometimes I think it is…”

James just smiled at her and shook his head.

Helen leaned against him for a moment. “Plus, if we all kept to Victorian age dress standards, that would put out much of my wardrobe…and I rather like my wardrobe.”

“I do rather like your wardrobe as well,” James admitted.

She laughed and hugged him. “Oh, I love you, James.”

“And I you, Helen.”

. . .

 

The dress shopping had been going along marvelously. Within mere minutes, Helen and Halia had already found suitable dresses for the party. Helen had found a white strapless cocktail length dress with asymmetrical black lace accents at the neckline and at the hem of the dress. Halia had found a rose pink strapless cocktail length dress. Metallic highlights ran through the ruched bodice with a sweetheart neckline. The skirt was made of asymmetrical layers of tulle, some of which were embroidered with metallic silver and pink leaf pattern.

Charley, though, was one who sought approval. She desperately was always seeking James’ approval. Helen just hoped that James would approve of every dress and make things easier on all of them. She’d brought it up to him before, but it wasn’t a crime for Charley to be a daddy’s girl. James had pointed out that she was one as well.

“Charley, try on whatever you like darling,” Helen said as she leaned against James as they patiently waited on a bench together. Halia was sitting in a chair on one side going through a guide to Italy while Lucas was on the other side reading a book he’d brought along.

After some time, Charley finally emerged with a dress that she claimed to really like. It was a light rose pink. It was cocktail length like the other dresses that had already been picked out. It was a made of silk with a sheer layer over it. A ribbon separated the ruched sweetheart empire waist bodice from the skirt. It had one strap on the right side that was formed by silk petals that ended at the bodice with a full flower.

“Daddy? What do you think?” Charley asked as she held the skirt out. A huge smile was on her face as she swayed a little.

“It’s absolutely beautiful on you, my darling angel,” James beamed.

Helen smiled at their daughter. “I think it’s perfect.”

“Do you mind if I wear pink too?” Charley asked Halia.

Halia shook her head and smiled at her little sister. “Of course not.”

“Then it’s settled then, right?” James asked. He checked his pocket watch. “There’s a place I want to stop before we go to change.”

“Where?” Lucas asked. “Is it more fun than a dress shop?”

James smiled. “It’s a place where I have gifts waiting for all of you…and Ashley.”

“Gifts?” Lucas asked.

James noticed that everyone’s attention perked. “But only if we wrap things up here quickly. Do you all have appropriate shoes and other accessories?”

Helen smiled and sat up straight before turning to her husband. “You’re so thoughtful. I think I have shoes and ‘accessories’.” She smirked. Obviously living with her and girls for most of their married life until Lucas was born had trained him quite well on what was needed for formal events. He’d always insisted on being quite involved in even their shopping adventures.

“I have heels I can use,” Halia spoke up. “But there was this really pretty sparkly hair clip I was hoping to get…”

“I’m sure that can be arranged as long as it’s inside this store,” James told her. “Please tell me it’s located here.”

Halia beamed. “It is!”

“Good then.” James said and then looked to his youngest daughter. “And you?”

Charley twirled in her dress and then stopped. “I have shoes as well. But…there was a really pretty headband…that I saw near Halia’s sparkly clip.”

“Well then, it seems that we’re set as soon as you change,” he told Charley with a smile.

Helen beamed at James. “I think buying dresses and sparkly hair clips are getting off quite easily compared to past trips.”

“That’s for sure,” he teased. “I’ve thought that sometimes it may be easier to buy out a whole store.”

Smirking, she lightly smacked his shoulder. “Cheeky bugger.”

He grinned and then got to his feet to go pay for their items.

. . .

 

At first, James hadn’t let the children wander very far from them, especially the girls. Helen thought it was adorable. No matter how long they lived or how much they taught their children…James would always be like any other father with a beautiful daughter. She was positive if all three of their girls had been present that there would be far too many young men to keep eyes on. Of course, she knew Ashley could handle herself and wasn’t actually one she needed to worry about. Halia and Charley, though, were both still quite young and impressionable.

“This is why we don’t have events like this,” James whispered to his wife.

Helen laughed and shook her head. “Just remember, Halia and Charley can make any boy who doesn’t take ‘no’ as an answer very sorry that they didn’t listen…” Halia already had passed most of the more physical defense aspects of their extended lessons, while Charley was still learning.

“Why can’t they be like Lucas?”

“They’re teenagers…and young women,” Helen pointed out as they watched their girls mingle with the young men that were present.

“Maybe we can institute a Victorian dress protocol just until they’re eighteen…maybe twenty-one…” James said.

“I’m sure that’ll go over quite well with them,” she told him sarcastically. “Why don’t you ask me to dance?” she suggested.

James nodded and held up his arm. “Would you like to dance, my love?”

“I’d be delighted,” she said enthused as she took his arm and they headed towards where others were dancing. She allowed him to lead, at least this time.

“Have you told you how absolutely beautiful you are tonight?” he asked as they moved around the dance floor.

“I think that may be the tenth time since I put the dress on,” Helen told him with a bright smile.

“It’s true…that dress or not,” James teased. “Though…the white does make me wish we’d had a proper wedding ceremony.”

“There’s still time,” she told him. It was something that he’d wanted. He’d actually brought it up several times since they’d officially married some time before. It was important to him. Helen hadn’t found it important because honestly she didn’t feel at their age that they needed such formality to be considered married. But it was important to James, so she would consider it a little more important.

“Don’t play with me, Helen,” he said with a sigh as they continued.

Helen returned to him after a spin and held tight to him as they continued to dance. “James Watson, I am not playing with you…not this time… If this is something you truly want, then we’ll make arrangements when we return home.” She watched his face change and she beamed at him. Helen leaned in and kissed him before they were interrupted by tugging on their clothing.

“What is it, Lucas?” James asked.

“Can we go yet? This is boring,” nine year old Lucas informed his parents.

“Ah, darling…we need to stay a little bit longer,” Helen said as she crouched down so that she was at his level. “Your sisters are having fun.”

“They’re just laughing a lot… Those boys are probably not even saying anything intelligent.”

Helen blinked. “Perhaps you need to spend less time with your father when we return home. You already sound far too old for your age.”

“Helen! James!”

She immediately straightened when she heard her name called. She put on a smile and looked about for who was greeting them. Her eyes settled on Adam Worth’s a few times great granddaughter, Elisabeth Worth. “Hello there,” Helen greeted.

“It is so good to see you both! An unexpected surprise!” Elisabeth beamed.

Helen still to this day didn’t understand what had happened so long ago. In 1898 London, Adam’s daughter, Imogene, lay dying in a hospital. She miraculously recovered from the condition and Adam thanked her…and James and the rest of The Five. None of them understood why he so insistently believed that they were behind her cure. James had suggested they just play along with it, so they did. After all, Adam was overjoyed and Imogene would grow up and live a long life. From that day forth, the Worths had been big supporters of the Sanctuary Network.

It was probably that small event in history, this insignificant girl who lived…which sparked the future knowledge of abnormals and their acceptance. Adam and Imogene assisted at the Sanctuary and later their descendents. Elisabeth, though, didn’t work within the Sanctuary but actually as an advocate and liaison. And so, with some time the world had for the most part accepted abnormals. The Sanctuaries were often visited by the public and this one was no different.

There were still people who opposed abnormals and didn’t want them in society, but that number was few compared to those who accepted and tolerated them. Helen and James, though, were still quite aware of possible threats.

“We happened to be nearby, vacationing,” Helen told her.

“I can’t believe how your children have grown! I didn’t see Ashley, though, is she around?” Elisabeth asked politely.

“Not this trip, sadly, she’s in Old City.”

“Of course,” Elisabeth said. “Well, it was good to see you both. I should mingle…but I hope to be able to chat a bit more later?”

“We look forward to it,” James told her.

The night wasn’t as bad as she was sure Lucas had thought. He eventually found a few other children his own age. They were from other Sanctuaries, so at least he found their conversations intelligent. The girls eventually left the boys and ended up in a group of other teenage girls. Once that had happened, James had relaxed a lot more. Helen still thought it was adorable, how much their life really was as normal as everyone else.

“Are you about ready to leave?” James asked. “You look absolutely exhausted.”

She looked over at him. “There’s only an hour left, the children are enjoying themselves…how about we find ourselves somewhere to sit and just let them enjoy their vacation as well.”

“I suppose you’re right,” James said and linked arms with her before heading towards where they’d seen chairs and couches before.

They sat there for nearly an hour, Helen laying her head on James’ shoulder. His arm around her. They’d just chatted for a bit and then had just sat there together in silence. It was one of the things that she absolutely loved about her husband, he had no problem with them just sitting together in silence.

“We should gather the children,” she said a bit reluctantly. Honestly, she was enjoying this time. Helen had been relaxing for virtually the first time since they’d arrived in Italy.

“Must we?”

She smiled brightly and straightened. “And you wanted to leave earlier…”

“I change my mind.”

“It’s nearing midnight,” she pointed out, gesturing to the old clock hanging on the other wall. “You know how Lucas and Charley get when they’re so late…”

“Good point,” James said and it was motivation enough for him to get to his feet. He turned and held out a hand to help her to her feet as well. Once she took his hand, he pulled her to her feet. They were heading back to the dance area when a blast knocked them to the floor.

It took them both a moment to recover. Her first thought was her children’s safety. “James…” she said but his hand was already on her arm as they hurried back towards the other room. Men dressed in black had invaded with guns. They scanned the room for their children.

“I see the girls,” James said as he headed off in that direction.

It was then that Helen’s eyes fell upon her son. He was right in the line of fire, her heart stopped for a moment. She had no weapon tucked away in her dress, once upon a time that would have been standard but not now… Times had been quite quiet as far as needing one on your person all the time.

Launching off in Lucas’ direction, she tried to come up with the best plan. His eyes locked with hers and she could see the fear in his eyes. She wouldn’t allow him to die. “No!” she yelled. They were still advancing and almost to Lucas. Helen finally got to him and all she could think to do in the time she had was to wrap herself around Lucas and press him to the ground. She would happily give her life for her child…for any of them.

He was crying and she kissed his face. “Shh… It’s going to be okay, my darling.” Helen knew that this wasn’t going to help him calm down but she hated to see him so upset. It was then that she heard gunshots. She tensed and whispered, “I love you.” She expected to die in that second, but instead found the light changing around her after being embraced by someone.

Moments later, she found herself at the Sanctuary…her Sanctuary…in Old City… Lucas was there on the floor just staring at her. Immediately she started to check him over for wounds. “Are you hurt?” he didn’t speak. “Talk to me!”

“I don’t like galas…” Lucas cried a moment later.

Helen grabbed him and hugged him quickly before looking around. John was quite close; he’d obviously been the one who had grabbed them. Across the room, her daughters (including Ashley) stood with James. They were all safe.

“Thank you,” she breathed a moment later to John.

John nodded. “We’d decided to crash the party…I’m glad we did.”

It was then she noticed John’s attire and Ashley’s as well. “We have to do something…” she told them.

“I’ll take the children,” came a voice. Biggie was standing there, he’d carted in a cartload of weapons from the armory.

Helen nodded as she got to her feet. It didn’t take long for John and Ashley to grab weapons and ammo. Halia just looked at her for a moment, Helen had taken her out before but on missions that were more predictable. Never in such a chaotic situation. She nodded, though; everyone would keep an eye on her. Helen was sure of that.

“Family outing, then?” John asked sarcastically.

Helen watched as Ashley and Halia stood near James and transported him with them. John took her a moment later.

When they returned back to the chaos that was once an elegant and peaceful gala, they found that members of the other sanctuaries who were present were already fighting back. Apparently they all felt the need to regularly carry a gun. She joined the fight, stepping a few feet from John and once in a while she’d look for the girls. In between she’d hear John confirming that everyone else was okay.

It didn’t take long for the invaders to be taken down. Normally, they really did try to use less lethal force but they were the ones who had been attacked and attacked at a party with children present. There were a few minutes of almost waiting in silence as they looked around to ensure that there were no more bullets heading their way.

“Helen,” John breathed.

She turned to him and stared at him. The color had drained from his face and then all the sudden the world was blurring. Her gun dropped from her hand against her will. She started to look downward, to look for the wound that had to be there when her legs started to give. John was there before she hit the ground, he caught her but he didn’t stop the blurriness that was quickly taking over her vision.

“HELEN!”

. . .

 

“Stop telling me that you’re fine!”

It wasn’t often that James raised his voice at anyone, let alone her. She cringed and shrunk back a bit against the headboard of the bed. She’d been shot through the left shoulder, it was a through and through so it was easy enough for Biggie to sew up. Helen hadn’t even noticed that she’d been shot at the time, most likely she’d been running on adrenaline since shielding Lucas with her own body.

James held up the white dress she’d been wearing. It was stained with her blood, which popped out against the delicate white fabric and the black lace design. “You were shot, Helen! You were shot and I’m really getting sick of everyone saying ‘she’s fine’.”

“Who else is saying it?” she asked curiously.

“John. Biggie. Ashley even…”

She frowned. “I am sorry, James. It wasn’t my intention to get shot. It certainly wasn’t my intention to have a weapon of any sort on our vacation…”

James’ face softened and he set the blooded dress on the back of a chair. “I know… I’m sorry,” he said as he approached the bed. “I just… I almost lost you. I swear my heart stopped when I saw you collapse. Thank God that John was right there and could bring you back so swiftly.”

“I’m just glad that Lucas and Charley didn’t see you like that,” James said. “Biggie had passed them off to Erika and she already had them both in bed by the time we all came back.”

Helen frowned. “I know this is a grim discussion, but perhaps we should discuss what should happen to the children if anything where to happen to us…”

“Not now… In the morning,” James told her. “Right now, I just want to hold you and sleep. I don’t think that makes me a bad person.”

“No…it doesn’t…” she responded.

A knock at the door brought both of their attention around. “Come in,” James said.

Biggie entered with a tray. A teakettle, cups, and saucers were on the tray and he quickly found a place to set them down. “Do you mind if I check on her?”

“Go right ahead,” James told him.

Biggie made his way towards her and then looked back at James. “Privacy?”

“She’s my wife.”

“Privacy?”

James frowned and then headed out. “I’ll check on the girls then, I suppose.”

Once James left, she looked directly at Biggie. He was her friend, an old friend, but not as old as James. “What is this all about? Are you and John and Ashley keeping something from him?” It wasn’t common for her to keep any secrets from James. She’d tried to keep her research on extending James’ life from him, but she knew he’d seen it.

“At least for now,” Biggie said. He sat at her bedside and started to examine her shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine…I guess… Tired,” she told him. “What are you not telling us?” How he looked at her scared her. They’d been friends for some time, but it had been some time since he’d looked at her like that. He brushed hair back away from her face and was just silent. “What is it?”

“I don’t want it to cause you to worry anymore than you’re already worrying…”

“I think I’ve already hit the further worry,” she told him honestly and quietly. “Please tell me.” He paused for a second; she could feel his eyes studying her. He leaned in and finally whispered into her ear. Her eyes widened at his words and she suddenly understood his worry over her. His arms wrapped around her and she found herself wrapping her arms around him as well and then finally resting her head against his shoulder.

“You understand now?” Biggie asked quietly.

She nodded. “The secret can only be kept from James for a few days though…”

Biggie released her and then moved over to the teakettle. He poured her a cup and then handed her the cup and saucer. “You need to rest…” He reached out and touched her cheek for a moment.

“I will,” she whispered.

. . .

TBC…


	6. Ripples

Chapter 6 – “Ripples”

 

“Please stay here, James,” Helen practically begged.

James sighed. “I’m dying… Haven’t we known this for some time?”

Helen frowned at him. “Don’t say that…”

“I know you’ve been working on a way to keep me alive. You’ve been worrying about it and staying up at all hours. If I’m dying, then perhaps it’s my time.”

She hated to think of that. Of someone else she loved dying. “Just this one time… James, please. Ashley and Henry are going with me. It’s just a simple retrieval.” And it really was. Just something simple, but she really wanted him to rest. There was also the fact that it’d been nearly a month since Italy and she’d still not told James the secret. The tension had been difficult, but James hadn’t pushed her.

It had been pure agony to keep it from him. She was certain that James would be upset with her when she finally shared it, but she hoped he’d understand. James was always understanding, even if it was something that upset him. Honestly, she was protecting him as much as she was protecting herself.

“I promise to check in with you,” she told him. “Plus, didn’t you promise the children fencing lessons today?”

“That is true.” James sighed. “Just promise me that you’ll allow yourself to rest when you return. I don’t think our vacation left you rested.”

She smiled. “I promise.”

. . .

 

The mission had gone as planned. It was quick. The abnormal they’d been after had been tranq-ed. All in all, Helen had felt like it had been a productive day. Things went quickly when Ashley was along. Since her daughter had mastered her powers, it had made transporting from here to there much quicker. Before she knew it, they were back at the Old City Sanctuary.

Helen was about to follow through with the promise she’d made to James, to rest, when she suddenly paused in the hallway. She took two steps back and then entered the room in which James normally taught their children to fence. Her eyes went to the clock and frowned. Something was wrong. It had been quiet, but she just took it at the fact that the children were busy with her husband.

She hurried in the direction of the library, hoping that James had finished fencing lessons early. Helen found one of her children in the library; Halia was sitting there reading quietly. “Darling, where are the others?” she asked. Henry and Ashley were busy putting their new ‘guest’ in the SHU or else she’d have them helping her look for them.

“Lucas and Charley weren’t feeling well. Dad took them to the infirmary…” Halia said. “Biggie should be down there with them.”

“Sick how?”

Halia shrugged. “Seemed like the cold or flu. Fever, coughing, and the kind.” Halia paused for a moment. “Dad said to stay in here and to keep away. You know how painful it is when we all get sick at the same time.”

It was possible that she was coming down with the same thing or possibly her body was just fighting it off. That was the one hard thing with children; they got sick and then would pass it on to every member of the family…and the extended Sanctuary family as well in some cases.

When she found James in the infirmary, he looked worried. Though when it came to her and the children, James was always worried. “How are they doing?” she asked as calmly as possible. There was a part of her that desperately wanted to go into ‘doctor mode’, but she forced herself to take a step back.

“Fevers are down…they’re resting now,” James told her. “Probably just the flu, or so Biggie says.”

She smiled. “I was on my way to our bedroom when I noticed that there wasn’t fencing practice. Halia told me that they were sick,” Helen filled in.

“How did the mission go?”

“Easy enough. Henry and Ashley were putting our new ‘guest’ in the SHU.”

James held out his hand to her and she took a hold of it. “Biggie said that they could go back to their rooms, but I’m honestly a little worried that everyone else will catch it then.” He looked at her with concern. “I figured with how overworked you’d been that you may be susceptible to it.”

“I actually think I’ve already been exposed to it,” Helen admitted. “My body’s either working to fight it off or I’m coming down with it…but it’s a wise precaution.” It was one thing for all of her children and then James and her to get it…but quite another when it spread to Will, Clara, Henry, Erika, and even little Alex.

“I hate to leave them in here though…” James admitted. “It’s so cold.”

“Ashley’s talked about painting walls before…cheering it up. I guess I never thought of the infirmary for our children…”

“Well, I made sure to bring down books and games and such for them. They should be comfortable and Biggie has promised to keep a close eye on them both,” James told her. “Why don’t we get you up to bed?”

“Only if I can have a cup of tea,” she told him.

“I think that can be arranged.”

She turned and he turned as well. His arm wrapped around her lower back and they started to walk towards the elevator. She paused and looked back over her shoulder. “James, do you think I could just peek in on them? I’d feel like such a terrible mother just leaving them there and not even seeing them…”

James sighed. “Just try not to get too close… I’m still worried about you. You may not have caught their flu yet.”

“I’ll meet you upstairs,” she told him with a smile and then kissed his cheek.

Biggie was there waiting when she entered the room. “You shouldn’t be here. You know how they manage to get everyone sick…every time.”

“I know,” she responded with a smile. “I just wanted to see them with my own eyes… I am going up to lay down myself right after… James is even getting me a cup of tea.”

“Chamomile would be best,” Biggie told her.

“I’m sure it’s something soothing like that.”

Helen had to admit that it was actually harder to see her children in this state than she’d originally thought. She thought that she could just see that they were both resting comfortably and then be on her way to her own bed upstairs. But she found herself wanting to check temperatures and vitals.

She sighed. They looked so small and so helpless in the infirmary. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay tending to them?” she asked. “I wouldn’t want you to get sick either.”

“I think having them here has just improved my immune system against those horrible germs they bring home from public school,” Biggie told her. “Those germs are one reason why I’m still suggesting we home school them.”

Helen grinned. “Germs justify home schooling?”

Biggie nodded.

“I’ll make sure that I note that down.”

“I’m going to retrieve a couple of blankets for them, just in case,” Biggie said. “Will you just wait here a moment with them?”

“Of course…” They were her children after all. Once he was gone, she approached their bedsides. Helen stood between the two beds and frowned down at her sleeping children. She ran her fingers through Lucas’ dark hair and then kissed his forehead. He didn’t feel warm, which was good. Turning to Charley, she moved some of her brown hair away from her face. Normally, she’d take the time to braid her daughters’ hair when they were sick, but she hadn’t been here this time. Tomorrow, she’d be sure to come down and do it. Right now, she didn’t want to get caught by Biggie.

The room was spinning a little. Was her blood sugar level low? Helen found herself lowering herself to a sitting position between the two beds. No, she remembered eating. She’d eaten breakfast with James and the children. She’d had a snack with Henry and Ashley. Was it just her feeling sick? Whatever it was, she was sure she was going to hear about it when Biggie returned. Helen allowed her head to rest against the cabinet behind her and slowly closed her eyes.

. . .

TBC…


	7. Home Sick

Chapter 7 – “Home Sick”

 

“Mom, what are you doing down here? I thought you were banished to bed?”

Her voice brought tears to her eyes. Her darling daughter. How much harder this was becoming. Ashley had been her main reason for returning… She’d intended on not being seen, but that was obviously a dissolved idea now. She’d already been spotted. “You know I can’t rest for too long,” Helen said as she turned towards Ashley. She tried to act as if there was nothing different.

They were below and she’d been taking in abnormals that she used to see on a daily basis. Some of them she considered friends. She had felt like finding somewhere to hide in there, just so she could be close… Helen had been so close to speaking with what everyone else seemed to call the “Sanctuary Memaid” or as Henry and Will had nicknamed, “Sally”.

“You’re crying…” Ashley said as she tilted her head as she approached.

“I’m fine,” Helen said.

“You should be in bed… You’ve been far too stressed about the whole world,” Ashley told her and took her mother’s arm. “Why don’t you let me take you back upstairs? I’ll have Biggie make us some tea…and cookies…” Ashley smiled brightly at her mother.

Without thinking, she pulled her daughter into her arms and let the tears fall. She’d been so alone for so long. She’d come to the point where she couldn’t take it and had just wanted to see one familiar thing. The outside of Old City Sanctuary had been enough for her to weep in her secluded spot for some time. And for a moment, she’d told herself that that was enough. Helen was sure things had changed in her time away, but she’d been unable to stave off her own curiosity and ultimately her loneliness. The loneliness had really been her main factor in leaving the small island she’d been living on for more than a hundred years now.

“You’re not my mother,” Ashley said and pushed away.

Helen took a step back and stared at her daughter. She shouldn’t be surprised though, Ashley wasn’t stupid. She had always been bright and intelligent. “Ashley…”

“You’re NOT my mother!” she yelled and walked back further.

“I am Helen Magnus, Ashley…please…”

“That still doesn’t make you my mother,” Ashley said.

She hadn’t dreamed of having Ashley hold a gun on her and here she was with a weapon on her. Helen held up her hands, trying to show that she was there in peace. She hadn’t wanted any of this. She’d avoided Biggie and James and Will. It hadn’t been easy and at that time she’d thought about reaching out to them as well. But she’d kept herself hidden and continued her tour of the place so long ago she’d called home.

“Ashley! Put the gun down!”

The voice belonged to James and she closed her eyes. They’d parted ways over a hundred years ago and she doubted he ever thought he’d ever lay eyes upon her again. She could see him hurrying along, towards them. How much she’d missed her dear friend and colleague. It had been so long since Oxford… “James…” she breathed. He looked remarkably well. She didn’t expect that. She’d gotten a glimpse of him earlier, but hadn’t realize how well he got around. It was…so different…so different from what she remembered and what she expected.

“Helen, you shouldn’t be down here,” he said.

She could see it in his eyes, he knew exactly who she was. Not often you could put something past James anyways. She hadn’t meant to even give it a try. If she’d seen him and he her, Helen had simply planned on explaining simply her reasons for being there and then going back on her way.

“Dad, it’s not Mom… Don’t let her try to convince you otherwise,” Ashley told him as she looked back briefly at him.

“I know exactly who she is,” James said. “And who, young lady, told you that you could carry a firearm freely about the Sanctuary? Let alone swing it around at those we care about.”

“It’s not my mom,” Ashley told him again.

“Lower the gun, Ashley,” James said as he started to push the barrel downward with a finger. “In a way, she is your mother… But you’re right; this Helen Magnus isn’t the woman who gave birth to you. Though if your mother saw you in such a state…” he started and then just looked at her once his words had stopped.

It was so odd to her. To hear Ashley call James ‘Dad’ and to witness this exchange. There was no doubt about it; the young woman in front of her was the Ashley she remembered. She wasn’t James’ daughter…she was John’s. Had she kept that from Ashley this long? John had made that truth broken long before this point in time.

“She’s not going to harm us,” James told Ashley. “She’s from a different reality…” He turned to her. “I take it that we’ve changed the events of your time?”

Helen nodded. “James… Ashley, she’s…” She desperately wanted to know what was going on. Perhaps it was selfish. Perhaps this was exactly how James had felt when she’d left him in London in 1898. He had questions then, she’d tried to keep as much as she could from him.

“Ashley isn’t my biological daughter?” James asked and then nodded. “She’s John’s… That doesn’t mean we’re not family.”

“You going to be okay down here with her?” Ashley asked.

James nodded. “And take Halia with you…”

It was then when Helen noticed another girl; no she was a young woman. She was definitely younger than Ashley but she wasn’t a girl. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and looked a lot like Ashley. The sudden disappearance near James and then reappearing by who Helen assumed was Halia…and then them both disappearing was quite a surprise and she took a couple of steps back as she tried to process it.

“Things, I’m sure have changed…”

“So much so…” she breathed.

James moved closer. “With the look on your face, I figured as much.” He paused for a moment. “What are you doing here?”

“Time has passed…this would be my time…when I went back in time after Adam. Take a few months… I wanted to make sure that things were okay…” She paused and looked around. “Though mostly, I was lonely, James. I missed all of this… I missed having something familiar.”

“I doubt you figured your disappearance would be easy…”

“You’re right,” Helen told him. “But I didn’t think it would be so hard either...” She sighed. “I saw the outside…and then I just felt the need to come inside…and see Ashley if I could. I never meant to be seen.”

“Ashley’s doing well, Helen…”

“She knows about John?”

“Since she was a girl,” James told her. “This family…is one family… All of our children have two fathers and that’s how it’s been for some time.”

“Our?” she questioned after a few minutes had passed. It had taken her that long to process it. She and James? Yes, she had had feelings for him, but to chance her heart on another after John? She hadn’t ever been able to do it. And she knew it would never be fair to James. Helen had worried that John’s jealousy would lead to James’ death and so they’d lived apart…seeing each other when only necessary. And it had kept him safe…until his death.

“Yes,” James told her. “Ashley is obviously John’s daughter. You know that.”

Helen nodded. “And she saved the embryo this long…as I had…”

“Halia…who you saw very briefly is John and Lana Tallis’ daughter… The girls’ mother and stepfather were killed when she was a girl. John retrieved her and brought her here. Helen and I have raised her since then. And then…Helen and I have two children. A girl, fourteen, Charley. A boy, nine, Lucas.”

“That is…certainly quite different,” she said as she tried to process it all.

“John remains constant in our lives. Ashley and Halia call me ‘Dad’ sometimes and Halia will refer to Helen as her mother. My children call John ‘Dad’ as well.” He shrugged. “We are one family…it was the easiest way to make sense of it all for the children.”

“The world…seems for the most part to accept abnormals,” Helen said. “People…those who aren’t abnormals, they know about the Sanctuary…”

“It wasn’t like that for you?” James asked.

She shook her head. “Absolutely not. Only those who needed to know and could be trusted knew about us.”

“Then I suppose quite a lot has changed for you.”

Maybe it would have been better to have stayed away? This was quite a lot to take in and though she’d been lonely before…now she felt even lonelier (if that was possible). She reached out to the closest wall and used it to steady herself. Helen knew that she should be happy for them…proud even…this was still what she wanted. She wanted her Sanctuaries to continue and for abnormals to be protected from themselves and the public from them. They had done that here…and it seemed like the Helen here was happy.

“Helen…”

“I’m just a little dizzy is all,” she said quickly. “I’m fine, I’m sure…”

“The flu has been going around with the children…and my Helen… I wouldn’t want you to catch it as well. Rather nasty strain, I think,” James told her.

“Ashley seemed fine,” she noted.

“Helen, Charley, and Lucas have been the ones who have been sick. Biggie has been seeing to them in hopes that the rest of us don’t come down with it.”

“So…since I won’t run into…myself,” Helen said and a small smile came to her lips. “Does that mean I might be able to bribe a tour from you? Just a quick one and then I’ll vanish again…”

James sighed. “You know I can’t resist you… “

. . .

 

“Are you sure I can’t stay and look them over? Ensure it’s just the flu?” Helen asked. She’d noticed how extremely worried James was about his family and also how much he absolutely loved them. She had wanted to at least help in some way. “And you…you look far better than I remember my James and yet…you still don’t look well.”

“Biggie has been tending to them, if it were that serious he wouldn’t allow them to go untreated,” James told him. “As for me… I’m fine… Last thing I need is for two Helens to worry about my mortality.”

“So, your Helen is worried about you as well?”

“I thought you were leaving?” James asked.

“Kicking me out the door now?” Helen asked, irritated with him. She was quite concerned with James now and the fact that he was trying to kick her out was only making her want to help all the more. “Really James? I could help…”

“Couldn’t you still alter the course of history for being here?” James questioned.

He was obviously done entertaining her. She looked around and started to plot. She had to. Something was wrong. She’d felt that the moment she’d set eyes on the Old City Sanctuary. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she felt like she was there for a reason. She could have come months back when she originally left this time but she had waited...it hadn’t felt right at the time.

“Fine…show me the door, James,” Helen told him holding her hand out. She started to follow him. They walked across the familiar lab and along the way; she quietly and carefully picked up several different things. Helen hated to make James think twice about being able to trust her, but she needed to do this…for James and the other Helen.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered before plunging a needle into his back. She pushed plunger in and watched as the sedative left the syringe and entered his body. Helen noticed that it didn’t take long for it to take effect. She helped to ease her old friend to the floor. She removed the syringe and recapped it before setting it aside.

Helen left him there and headed to the closest computer terminal. She just hoped that her counterpart upstairs thought enough like her that she wouldn’t have to fight for the correct passwords.

. . .

 

“What are you doing?”

The voice startled her enough for her to accidentally knock things off of the table she’d been working at. She spun around and found the other young lady standing there. She just hoped that Ashley wasn’t right behind. If Ashley was, she’d surely sound the alarm.

“I was just…”

“I know you’re not my mom,” Halia told her with a smile. “Ashley told me. She’s off on her bike. Pretty pissed, though I don’t exactly understand why.” She paused for a moment. “Though, I can guarantee you that if she saw our father on the floor like this,” Halia said motioning to James’ unconscious form, still on the floor. “She’d not have a problem holding a gun to your head and either pulling the trigger or throwing you in the SHU.”

Helen looked over at James on the floor and then back to Halia. “He was being…unreasonable.”

Halia clasped her hands behind her back and walked closer to where Helen was standing. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone use the term ‘unreasonable’ when talking about my father.”

“You call James your father? Isn’t that odd for you?” Helen asked. It had been nagging at her. Maybe it was just because she didn’t live there or she didn’t have that sort of relationship with James and John at the same time.

She shrugged. Halia moved closer and examined what Helen was doing. “It’s pretty much all I’ve known since my mom and stepdad died. It’s pretty cool most of the time. Helen and James were really great when I first came here. I mean, they still are, but especially then. They gave me space but then they’re really great about letting me pursue my interests.” Halia shrugged and looked at Helen. “I mean John does visit us… And we’ll go on fun trips and stuff… It’s sort of the best of both worlds with dads. John can be more fun while James keeps us on track academically.”

“What is your area of interest?”

“Biology,” Halia said. “Helen lets me help down here. I find abnormal physiology fascinating.”

Helen smiled. “Well then. Would you fancy assisting me?”

“Are you working on a treatment for mom and the kids or for James?” Halia asked.

“Actually…I was working on a treatment for James. He insisted that the condition of the others was merely the flu,” Helen said with a frown. “Was he incorrect? Have you noticed something odd?”

Halia nodded. “Helen’s fainted. I know that John, Ashley, and Biggie know something about her condition that they’re not telling James. I actually think it’s something they’ve been keeping for longer than she’s been sick.”

“What about Charley and Lucas?”

“We’ve all been sick before,” Halia said. “Normally all four of us are sick together and then James and Helen are sick right when we get well. Charley and Lucas will be up and about and playing and reading…they’ve not left bed…not even read so far I’ve seen.”

“And that’s odd?”

“Extremely.”

“Well, then,” Helen said. “Somehow I’m going to need blood samples. Any ideas?”

“I can do it,” Halia volunteered. “No one’s going to stop me. Plus, I can teleport right in to both rooms.”

“If Biggie catches you though…”

“I’ll just tell him that I’m visiting…”

“You’re sure?” Helen asked.

“Positive,” Halia told her. “Just give me the syringes and a rubber band and I’ll get you three samples.”

“You’ve done it before?”

“I told you I help down here all the time. I can show you if you want,” Halia said.

Helen grabbed the supplies quickly and then handed them over. “Just be careful.”

“Back in a flash,” Halia told her with a smile before teleporting out.

She moved back to what she’d been doing before she’d been interrupting. Helen bent down and retrieved the items on the floor. She sighed when she saw James lying there again. After she set things on the table again, she started the process of moving James to one of the beds in the infirmary nearby. He wouldn’t be happy when he woke up, but at least he’d be comfortable. There would be that. She doubted he’d actually thank her for the kind thoughts.

Helen had managed to crack the pass codes and had been looking through James’ medical history. The treatments his Helen had been giving them had been something she’d never thought of. James had designed his machine and that had kept him going for some time…if only she’d thought of this herself before her James had died… She turned and decided this was probably the best time to collect a fresh blood sample and scans of James. She didn’t want to be working with older scans and samples if something had changed.

. . .

 

“Is there anything you can do?”

Helen looked over her shoulder to see Halia there. While the girl had been gone, she’d been looking over the fresh scans and such from James. She had a thought, something that may work that would just expand upon what her counterpart here had already done with past treatments. She honestly believed that it just needed some simple tweaking. “I think so,” Helen told her honestly.

Halia carefully set the syringes and excess supplies on the table. “I even labeled them.”

“Very good,” she said as she picked them up.

“I know you think it’s weird…how our family is,” Halia said. “But…James is really great. You should see him. He cares for Ashley and I like we were his biological children. He dotes on us and brings us gifts when he travels. He actually had gotten us gifts when we were in Italy…but then the Sanctuary we were at was attacked and then…everyone got sick…so he forgot. But he’s really great.”

“I believe you,” Helen said with a smile. “This James and the James I knew are quite similar. Good hearted and caring, no matter what.”

“You said knew,” Halia said.

“Mine died… I didn’t think of the treatments that your mother did.” She was sad as she thought of her James. If she could change things with James, would she? Could she? She still didn’t think it was fair. “He died about two years ago. He had invented a machine that helped keep him alive, it failed when we were on a mission.”

Halia nodded. “I’ve seen drawings of something like that, but Mom’s treatments have always made him better… She’s been really stressing about it lately, which is why Dad had thought she had gotten sick. You know how stress doesn’t help your immune system.”

“Yes. I understand,” Helen told her. “But fear not. I have a very good feeling about tweaking your mother’s treatment. I believe James will be just fine again once I do the calculations and put it together.”

“Why not do it now?”

“Going to look at blood samples, remember?”

“I can start the process on them,” Halia offered.

Helen could tell that all the girl wanted to do was help. She couldn’t fault her for that. She understood why Halia fit in so well. Ashley had never been someone who loved hanging around the lab and doing lab tests. Halia was very different from Ashley, which probably worked out well for them. “Are you going to go to university soon?”

“Next year,” she said with a nod. Halia smiled. “Mom and Dad are pushing for Oxford. But…they really don’t care where I go. The nice thing is that I can pop back here whenever I like, so location really doesn’t matter. I can be home every night if I want.”

“Are you going to study biology then?”

“Medicine, I think, yes.” Halia moved to look at the computer screen at what Helen had been working on for James. “I want to be like my mom.”

“I’m sure she’s proud.”

“Maybe…”

“Hasn’t she said so?” Helen asked a little shocked as she watched Halia studying what was up on the computer. She was shocked, but then she knew that with Ashley, she’d lost so much time with her. She’d been so focused on her work that she’d let Ashley grow up and hadn’t spent as much time with her as she’d liked. She would have loved to travel the world with her daughter, show her all the wonders.

Halia shook her head and started to key in sequences into the computer. “But you know…she worries… She worries about James and she wants us all to live as normally as possible. Probably why she sends us to public school and makes us take foreign language classes with instructors who teach fake French.”

“Fake French?” Helen asked as she looked at one of her newly prepared slides under the microscope. She was going to say something and then didn’t. It didn’t look like just the flu. She quickly turned to the other two slides. They were the same. Degrading. There was something else with her counterpart’s slide too.

Turning back to Halia, she frowned deeply. “What are you doing there?!”

“Relax… I’m just altering the sequence… The other one is still on here. You can hit reset.” Halia back off and allowed Helen to look at it.

“This is actually very good…” Helen said. “There’s just a couple more things to tweak…” she said and pointed them out. “Here…and here…”

“What about the slides?” Halia asked looking over to where the microscope sat.

Helen moved back to the microscope. “It’s not the flu. Without scans, I can’t be sure, but I believe their systems are shutting down. There’s something else about your mother’s blood work too. Proteins. Is it possible that she’s pregnant?”

“She’s married, so I would say it’s possible…” Halia said. “When the Sanctuary we were at was attacked…she was shot.” She held her hand up to her shoulder. “Right here. Through and through at least.”

“Who repaired it?” she asked curiously.

“Biggie,” Halia said quickly. “No one else here can really do it. James is good at a lot of things down here, but surgery hasn’t really ever been his specialty.”

Helen smiled. “Well, let’s finish up this,” she said moving back to where Halia stood and tapped the computer screen. “We’ll synthesize it, inject your father, and then move on to the others. I’d like to get them down here for up to date scans if possible.”

“I can help.”

“I would appreciate that.”

. . .

 

“You had NO right!” James yelled as he pointed at Helen.

She just stood there and allowed it. She honestly couldn’t remember many times in her life when James had gotten so worked up and upset. Helen hadn’t wanted to upset him, but it was necessary. He would be okay now. He’d be able to most likely better focus on his wife and children. “I did it to save your life, James. It was the least I could do for you.”

“You shouldn’t have brought her into this,” James said looking over to Halia.

“I insisted,” Halia spoke up.

“I know you’re upset with me, James, but don’t be upset with her,” Helen said as she took a step towards him. “I needed her help. She’s been here. She’s seen all of you. She even helped me with working on your treatment.” She frowned. Helen had been not looking forward to telling him the rest. “Your Helen and your children…they don’t have the flu. If you’re feeling up to it. I can show you.”

“I’m not crippled,” James said as he got to his feet. “You apparently treated me so I suppose you expect me to feel right as rain, right?”

Helen sighed. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“You make me impossible,” he countered.

The three moved out of the infirmary and towards her lab. She brought up the blood samples side by side. She needed him to see that it wasn’t the flu. “See,” she said as she pointed to them.

“And this?” he asked pointing to Helen’s.

“I ran a test to be sure, but your wife is with child,” Helen said. “Which makes her condition ever dire. If she doesn’t get better quickly, she could lose the baby.”

“Pregnant?” James asked and reached out to grip the table.

“You didn’t know?” she asked in shock.

“No,” James said. “Biggie, John, and Ashley probably knew… I knew there was something they weren’t telling me… I didn’t think it was this, though…”

“I need to do scans in order to figure out the proper treatment,” Helen told him.

“As for you,” James said as he looked over at Halia. “I want you upstairs for the time being.”

“But…I can help!” Halia argued. “Tell him I can help,” she said looking to Helen.

“She was very helpful,” Helen told James. The look he gave her was enough. “But…you’re her father…”

“Upstairs,” James told her again.

In just a mere moment after a huff, Halia was gone. Helen frowned and looked over at him. She’d merely wanted to help. “I’m sorry, James.”

“You treated me…encouraged my daughter…and found out that half of my family is dying when we merely believed them to have the flu,” James told her. “How can I possibly be mad at you?”

“I knocked you out,” she pointed out.

“Ah, yes,” James said. “Don’t do that again.”

“I’ll try not to.”

He shook his head as he looked over at her. “You’re definitely far more trouble than my Helen. Though, you were trouble when I came for you in Scotland Yard in 1898 so I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised.” There was silence between them for a moment. “I am calling for help, though.”

“Who?”

. . .

 

TBC…


	8. Reinforcements

Chapter 8 – “Reinforcements”

 

The reinforcements that James had gathered shocked her a bit. It was such an odd combination in her mind. But then at the same time, she was thankful for how functional they all seemed. How was it that they were all so screwed up in her time compared to here? She and James hadn’t changed THAT much. Did they really make the future into this?

“Wow…you weren’t lying,” Tesla commented. “Does that mean that she and I could…you know…”

“Nikola…you’re the same I think in every version of every universe,” she commented as she shook her head.

“Does that mean you missed me?” he asked as he moved closer to her with a smirk in place.

She smiled. As much as Nikola caused problems for her, he had never done her harm. Yes, he’d tried to have his vampires kill her at one time but he’d kindly asked her to rule alongside him first. “In fact, I have… It’s good to see you, Nikola.”

“I LIKE her!” Tesla enthused. “What are we supposed to do with her?”

“Send her back home if we can,” James told him.

“Can I go with her?” Tesla asked as he moved so that he was barely touching her.

Helen sighed and took a step away from him. “I have one Nikola Tesla already to deal with, I honestly can’t bear to have two of you.”

“Leave her be, Nikola,” John told him lowly.

Her eyes moved up to look at John. He looked different. Different than she remembered. She knew that he was part of their family here, but she hadn’t expected him to be like this. He was quiet…and he was being quite well mannered. Her John and Nikola would have pushed one or the other to a wall by now unless perhaps wine or alcohol was involved.

And the last…the last invited guest had been her father. How she’d been surprised to see him. Her father as far as she knew was dead; he’d been killed with the destruction of Praxis. “Hello Father,” she greeted quietly. She honestly wasn’t sure if he’d accept her or if he’d be like Ashley and treat her like she was a second-class citizen.

“Helen,” he greeted with a smile and then hugged her.

It brought such great relief and she hugged him back. Tears formed in her eyes and she sniffled a bit. She’d missed her father. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?” he asked as he pulled back.

“For this… You have no idea how much this means to me,” Helen told him. She missed her father so dearly. Helen had wanted him to come back to the Sanctuary before, but he’d insisted on staying in Praxis. Then, she hadn’t ever dreamed of what would happen…she just figured it would be a little time until she would see him again.

Biggie entered and handed James a piece of paper before quickly exiting. Helen had seen him once when she was in the lab with James and he didn’t seem too happy with her there.

“Elisabeth Worth is willing to give us any help that we may need,” James announced.

“Worth? As in ADAM Worth?” she questioned. Helen had to admit that if she never heard his name or saw him again, she would die happy. Adam Worth had caused far too many problems for her…but it looked like allowing Imogene Worth to live had helped them in the long run.

“Yes,” James told her. “He always believed that you and I had something to do with Imogene’s miraculous recovery. That we’d gone in one night and given her a cure and were too modest to take the credit.”

“And so…his descendent is willing to help?”

James nodded. “That’s how it’s been for some time. She’s the first Worth to not officially be part of the Sanctuary Network. All the other Worths have played some part at the UK Sanctuary.”

“Are we ever going to know how she came to be here?” Tesla asked.

“I assume that you’ve had contact with her before, James?” John questioned.

James nodded. “In 1898. She came back after Adam. To stop him.”

“I made choices then…” Helen started.

“I may have influenced them greatly,” James added.

“They were mine in the end, James,” she told him. “I allowed Imogene Worth to live.”

“Allowed?” Tesla asked.

“She died originally,” Helen told them. “I was supposed to go back and stop Future Adam from curing her. I ended up letting her live… I didn’t know what impact it would have on the timeline. I guess I know now.”

“And Adam?” John prompted.

“Future Adam died…not sure how,” Helen admitted. “And the other Adam went about his life with his daughter. I assume much happier than Future Adam had been.” Helen paused for a moment. She wasn’t sure how anyone would take the next thing she said. “And then…I helped to cure John…even if it was briefly…”

John blinked. “Excuse me?”

“In 1898 James and I used lightning to force the energy elemental in you to hibernate,” Helen said. “I couldn’t allow your Helen to live through what I lived through. I know that her life was much happier than it would have been…” She looked at John. “We just found out about the energy elemental about two or three years ago… I didn’t know then what I know now… It wasn’t your fault, John.”

“And then you what? Went into hiding?” John asked.

“Yes, I just…I disappeared the best I could,” Helen told him. “I hoped that all the things that I had done that would impact the future were for the best. I only came back because this was about the time I left… I didn’t know for certain if history would repeat itself or not.”

“How are you feeling?” Tesla suddenly asked.

He’d been quiet for some time, which was certainly odd for the Tesla she knew. She looked at him oddly to be certain that he was addressing her. “I’m…fine… Why?”

“You feel perfectly fine? Like any other day?”

“I’m tired…”

Tesla nodded. “Two Helens can’t exist in the same space. That’s why Helen and the children are dying…because you’re here.”

He was so matter of fact about it. Maybe that’s what made it so shocking. “So, I should get back on a plane to the island I’ve been living on?”

“No, this would have happened eventually…” Tesla said as he started to pace. “You just sped up the process a bit.”

“Can you help?” she asked looking around at everyone else in the room and then stopping on Tesla. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to be the one to break James’ heart, not like this. She didn’t want to make things worse. This place was practically Utopia compared to where she’d come from. She wished for them to live over her life.

“I think I can…”

“Think?” James asked.

This was obviously a lot for James to take in and possibly far too much for him to be able to deal with. If this didn’t work…she feared what would happen if his family was further threatened. She would happily end her life if that meant that this happier existence for her counterpart and James could continue.

“I’m sure between Nikola, Henry, and my father they will be able to devise something,” Helen spoke up. James practically glared at her for speaking up. She really wasn’t feeling like this was a good thing. There was so much tension in the air…

“Erika will be of help too,” Tesla spoke up.

“You just like to flirt with her and tempt Henry to end your life,” John spoke up.

“What can I say? I need some entertainment. Plus, Henric would never have the heart to hurt me!” Tesla said with a smirk. “And really…Erika’s very helpful…”

The next thing she was going to suggest would surely upset James, but she had to suggest it. She’d already brought it up, but she had a feeling that he’d forgotten. He needed rest too. His body was repairing cells that had started to deteriorate and he needed to rest. “I still would like to examine them…perhaps there’s something I can do to slow the process…”

“I don’t think that’s really a good idea,” James said. “Maybe Gregory can do it.”

“Why not let us both look at them?” Gregory suggested. “I doubt any of them will be conscious enough to see either of us if that’s what you’re worrying about…”

“Do what you all think is right,” James told them and lifted his hands in the air. “I need to step outside… I need the air.”

She supposed that him stepping out for some air was a better reaction than she’d expected. Once he left she tried to put on a small smile for those left. “I really do just want to help…” she said. “Though I think I may have made things worse…”

“James will be fine once Helen and the children’s condition improves,” John said. “It’ll be like nothing ever happened…”

“He knows that you and Ashley and Biggie knew that Helen is pregnant,” Helen told him. She figured it was fair to let him know. Warn him for when James’ decided to raise his voice on that subject. “I had to tell him… He saw the blood samples… I couldn’t risk lying to him about that.”

John nodded. “I knew…but it was because of how she looked. Helen glows a certain way, I don’t know how to explain it fully, but I’ve seen it in the past every time she’s been pregnant. I’m actually quite surprised that James hasn’t picked up on it. I mentioned it in front of Ashley and Biggie when Helen’s shoulder was being mended. Biggie later confirmed.”

“Just be aware in case James decides to take his frustration out on you,” Helen said.

“Don’t worry, Helen. I can take care of myself,” John told her with a smile.

. . .

 

All they could do was make them comfortable. It wasn’t much, but it was something. It had been so odd to sit at the bedside of her counterpart with her father. The children, Charley and Lucas, that James and Helen loved so much…they were beautiful and she could only imagine how wonderful they were when they were conscious and running about. Their rooms were telling of their personalities and interests. They were definitely her and James’ children, there was no doubt.

“I am sorry for this,” she said quietly as they headed out of Charley’s room.

“For being alive? Or for being here?” Gregory asked.

“Both possibly… For so many things…”

“As I see it, if you hadn’t come into things long ago…this world wouldn’t exist as it stands. Is that correct?”

“I suppose,” Helen said. “It would be vastly different.”

“We’ll figure this out… I have faith in these people, though I will admit…Tesla can be quite a handful,” Gregory told her.

She smiled. “He always is.”

“Don’t worry about James. He’ll always stand by her side…and yours…” Gregory said as he looked over at her with a smile. “He’s just protective. It was hard for him when Helen and John were together…and I think it might have been even harder when you tried to distance yourself from everyone…” He paused for a moment. “Were you and James ever together?”

“No,” she said quietly. “Don’t get me wrong…I absolutely adored James… I just never felt it was fair… John had broken my heart long ago…and then to find out recently that it wasn’t even his fault all those years ago… I just couldn’t gamble James’ life by allowing myself to fall in love with him and be close to him. So, he stayed at the UK Sanctuary and I stayed here.”

Gregory sighed and shook his head. “Do you have a chance to correct such a thing if you’re able to return?”

“My James died a couple of years ago,” Helen said quietly.

“I’m sorry.”

“I miss him…everyday,” she admitted.

“What else is different there?” Gregory asked. “If you don’t mind an old man’s curiosity…”

“James and I obviously aren’t married. So, Charley and Lucas don’t exist there,” Helen told him. “Halia may exist, but I’ve never heard mention of her and she’s certainly not shown up. And Ashley…” She sucked in a breath as she tried to process the next part. “Ashley’s gone… The Cabal experimented on her and tried to get her to destroy us…Ashley managed to sacrifice herself in the end to save me and the Sanctuary…” She was staring at the floor now.

“I’m sorry,” Gregory said as he put an arm around her. He kissed the side of her head. “This must be quite difficult for you…”

“I’m happy for them…”

Gregory sighed. “If this works. If Tesla can return you to your time and your reality. You must promise me that you’ll seek out some sort of happiness… Take a chance… Jump, Helen.”

She looked up at him and tried to smile. “I honestly don’t know that I can jump…”

“Don’t think so much.”

“I don’t know that I can’t…” she admitted honestly.

“For me,” Gregory said. “You must have people you care about…”

“Romantically?” Helen asked. “I don’t really have any prospects.”

“Who would you go across the Earth to save?” Gregory questioned.

“I would do it for a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean that I love them, Father.” She shook her head. “John and Tesla are still around… John’s energy elemental isn’t under control all of the time… And Tesla… It seems like when he wants my help, he’s always confessing his love for me and then trying to kill me in his next breath.”

“You’ve always loved John.”

“That was a very long time ago.”

Gregory shook his head. “I never wanted you to live an unhappy life, Helen. John may be…damaged…but he’s always loved you. This John, he loves Helen enough to let her be with James…to raise his and James’ children… He will always be there when she calls… He’ll do anything she asks. If your John would do the same, then I suggest you try jumping… Sometimes happiness needs a second chance…”

“Jump?”

“Jump,” Gregory repeated.

. . .

 

TBC…


	9. Parallel

Chapter 9 – “Parallel”

 

“Do you want the extended version of me going on about how genius I am and how this thing works…or shall you just accept the truth that I am a God among mortals?” Tesla asked.

“What about Cliff Notes?” Henry asked Tesla.

Tesla scoffed. “Look, either people want to hear and appreciate my genius or they don’t… There’s no grey area…”

“Just tell us if it works, Nikola,” James told him firmly.

“Fine, ruin my fun,” Tesla said as he twirled one of his hands around. “It works. Once turned on, it should—“

“Should?”

“WILL. IT WILL push this Helen Magnus back to her own reality or universe,” Tesla said. His irritation was obviously growing.

“We really won’t know unless we try, James,” Helen said as she stepped towards Tesla and his machine. Henry looked nervous, but everyone normally looked nervous when Tesla looked absolutely confidant. “I’m ready.”

Tesla looked to James. James nodded. “Okay…” Tesla grinned at Helen. “Kiss me when you see me next.”

Helen couldn’t help but smile. That happened often enough without her promising to initiate it. “I’m sure it’ll happen.”

“I’ll miss you,” Tesla told her and then turned on the machine.

She waited. Helen didn’t know what to expect. Would the world blur? Would she just suddenly appear in the same place but in her own reality? Would she pass out? Suddenly she noticed that time had passed and she was still standing there. She looked at everyone and then back at Tesla. “Any time now…”

“There must be a problem,” Tesla said. He turned to Henry. “Did you touch it? What did you do?!”

“I didn’t do anything! Are you using like Vista as your OS?” Henry asked as he approached the machine. “Let me try,” he said before smacking the thing.

It only took a second before more lights lit up. A light filled shockwave effect filled the room. Helen closed her eyes and figured that once the light stopped, she’d finally be home. After a minute, it dimmed. She opened them and found that Tesla and Henry were still standing there. “Damn,” she breathed.

“What the HELL was that?!”

The shout was that of Will’s voice, which wasn’t unexpected. He was most likely upstairs. Helen imagined that there may have been vibrations or light that had reached up to the upper levels of the Sanctuary. Anything was possible.

Not only Will appeared though, Henry appeared as well.

Helen looked between them. Two Henrys.

“Magnus!” Will shouted.

“Do-oc…um…” Henry said and then pointed at the people around her.

“Nikola…” she grumbled as she turned to him. “This isn’t pushing me to my reality… I think you pulled them together.”

“Nikola!” James shouted.

“Stop saying my name like that!” Tesla shouted. “I’m trying to be brilliant! Be quiet and let me work for a moment!”

Helen moved away from them and approached Henry and Will. Her Henry and her Will. Tears came to her eyes and she hugged them both together. “I’ve missed you both…”

“Where have you been?!” Will asked. “It’s been months…”

“It’s been far longer…” she whispered.

Henry’s voice was concerned when he spoke up. “Are you okay?”

She pulled away from them both. “My being here is impacting their universe. Their Helen and her children are dying…”

“Children?” Will asked.

“It’s a long story.”

“It always is…”

“Just so we all know! This isn’t good!” Tesla announced. “With both universes together, that means that not only Helen will be affected. William and Henric will be affected as well…and anyone else who is at both Sancturies.”

“What does he mean?” Will asked.

“We need to fix things…and fast,” Helen told him.

. . .

 

“So, you’re telling me that you went back in time, changed history, and then ended up in this utopia-like version of what could have been our lives?” Will asked.

Helen nodded. “I know it’s a lot.”

“You and Watson are together here…and you have four children…and somehow the family fully includes Druitt?” Will asked. “It’s sort of a messed up utopia.”

“If you’d just see how they are together… It’s odd, but it’s also quite beautiful.”

“What did you change?”

“Only two things as far as I can recall,” Helen told him. “I let Imogene Worth live…and James and I cured John…well temporarily.”

“That’s it?” Will asked.

She nodded. “That’s it,” she confirmed. Helen was sure that they were having their minds blown by everything, but they needed to be in one hundred percent to help. “My father lives in this universe, as does James obviously…and Ashley…and Clara Griffin.” She sighed. “Besides Henry, the Helen here also brought Will in when he was a boy. When she couldn’t save his mother…Helen brought Will back to the Sanctuary and raised him here.”

“Wow…” Will breathed. “Talk about a different life…”

“But you said Ashley’s here?” Henry spoke up for the first time in a long while.

Helen nodded. “She’s alive. Though…last I heard she’d gone out on her bike. She doesn’t like that I’m here.”

Henry frowned. “I really just wanted to hug her…”

She could understand that. Henry and Ashley had been close. They’d grown up a lot together. Helen nodded and tried to give him a small smile. “Well, there’s hope that she’ll return while we’re all here. I was hoping that you’d help the other Henry though… I think James is calling down Erika as well.”

“Erika lives here too?”

“Yes,” Helen confirmed. “They’re married apparently. Erika and Henry live here in the Sanctuary with their son, Alex.”

“Alex? Son?”

She patted his shoulder. “It’s going to be weird…”

“I can handle weird… It’s sort of cool,” he admitted. “You are right, it’s like a perfect version of our world…”

. . .

 

Helen was starting to feel sick. Tesla had warned her and he’d been right. Her being tired had only been the start of it all. She had to sit down. She’d been pushing to try to help Tesla, but so far nothing was helping. She also just couldn’t think. So, she’d left Tesla and the others to work on it without her. She covered her face and closed her eyes. Her head was pounding and her eyes hurt.

“I wish there was something I could do.”

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. James was standing there looking down at her. He looked quite concerned and calmer than he had all day. “I know,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry that I started all this… I would never do anything that would bring hurt to you on purpose.”

“I know that,” he breathed.

“I really can’t even think at this point…” she told him honestly. “At least I did one thing right.” She had kept telling herself that that was what she needed to hold to. James would live on for at least a while longer until he’d need another treatment. Helen considered that a big step.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” James suggested,

“Care to take that advice as well?” she asked. It was something that she’d wanted him to do, but with his high temper, she didn’t want to push her luck with suggesting it. But since he was suggesting it to her, turnabout was just fair play.

“I honestly don’t believe I could actually sleep,” James explained.

Helen nodded. “I think that would be my problem as well.”

James sighed. “Not that I honestly mind visiting with you, Helen…but I really hope Tesla hurries… Helen and the children look close to death,” he told her. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face. “It kills me to see them like that…”

“I am sorry, James,” she said quietly.

“You couldn’t have known, Helen,” James told her. “I don’t blame you. I may have been upset before…but I’m sure you can understand my viewpoint.”

“I do.”

They sat together for some time in silence. This was most likely the closest either of them was going to get to sleeping until everything was straightened out and their lives were back in order. She leaned against him and closed her eyes for a moment. Tears fell down her cheeks. How she missed her James. How she missed Ashley. How she missed her father. How she missed her family. For so long she’d been isolated on that island… Her world was hell compared to this one. How absolutely jealous she was of what this James and Helen had…what they’d built.

“Would you change things?” James asked after some time.

“Change what things?” she asked as she lifted her head and turned to him. At least Tesla hadn’t come and bothered them. It had given them both some time to rest.

“What we changed in 1898. After seeing all of this…”

“No,” she whispered. She stared at him. “Honestly, I almost don’t want to go home…”

James frowned. “Is it that bad?”

“I’m well over 250 now, James. I’ve spent over 100 of those years in isolation… When I go home, I won’t have someone who loves me… My daughter will still be dead… And my best friend will still be dead,” she told him. Of course, she still had people she cared about in her time, but how she wished things would have changed on her side as well.

“Your Will and Henry seemed happy to see you,” James pointed out. “Aren’t they like children?”

“Henry is, I suppose,” Helen told him. “I’ve cared for him since he was a boy. Will, however, I haven’t raised… I managed to save him but I never brought him to the Sanctuary after that…”

“Live for Henry then, Helen,” James told her. “Make sure he knows that you’re there…”

“You should have seen his face when he found out that Ashley exists here… They grew up together… They were such good friends…” she said as she peered out towards where Tesla and the two Henrys were working together.

“Does he know how you think of him?”

“No,” she whispered. “I’m sure I’ve been far more…difficult…and even distant… I’m sure he knows I care for his wellbeing…”

“But that’s not the same,” James told her.

Helen nodded. “And now, I’m concerned that we may have a Halia in our world too. When I go back, I’ll seek her out.”

“Halia Jayne Tallis. She lived in Hawaii,” James told her. “I would assume not much would have changed.” James pulled her back towards him. “Rest for a bit longer, Helen.”

. . .

 

The sound of the alarms woke them both. She and James had fallen asleep sitting up in the infirmary. They’d gotten to their feet and hurried out. Everyone else seemed as shocked and caught off guard as they did. Monitors above their heads were switched to security feeds inside the Sanctuary.

“Cabal…” Tesla said. “I thought they’d been wiped out?”

“As did I,” James agreed.

“Maybe they’re not here for your Sanctuary,” Helen spoke up. It had been some time since they’d run into the Cabal. John had said he’d crippled the Cabal by killing all their senior leaders. It was revenge for altering Ashley and as a result of it, Ashley’s death. Since then, they hadn’t seen the Cabal. She looked over to her Will and Henry. “Was John at the Sanctuary?”

“We think he’s been on a killing spree,” Will said. “But he hasn’t tried to enter the Sanctuary.”

“Lowering the shields?” John asked. “You’re practically welcoming me!”

It took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t the John Druitt that she expected. No, this wasn’t the John from this universe, this was her John. The John who had caused her so much pain…but at one time she had loved with all her heart. “John? You brought the Cabal here?” she asked.

“Not on purpose, Helen,” John told her. He looked around and paused. “Wha..”

“Finish what you were saying, John!” she snapped.

“I sought out Tesla,” John told her. “He…cured me…again. But, in doing so, I’m afraid we both were found by the rising Cabal forces… I didn’t think they’d follow me here.”

She was so angry with him now. She’d already been angry with him before, from his dealings with Adam. And now this… “How can you do this—“

“Enough you both!” Gregory yelled. “This house is under attack!”

“They’re breaking through your defenses,” John pointed out.

James looked around. “We have to evacuate those levels!”

“I can get to Helen and the children,” John told him.

“Clara, Erika, and Alex are up there too,” Will argued

Helen turned to her John. “I need your help…and once things are locked down. I promise to explain things.” When John nodded, she turned to James. “We’ll get your Helen and your children. I’m familiar with their locations.”

“Then I’ll get the others,” John said before disappearing.

Helen turned to her John. “Take me to my room,” she requested.

It only took a moment for John to transport them both to what was her bedroom in her time. Here it belonged to both Helen and James. She moved towards the bed immediately and took in her counterpart’s pale form. “She’s extremely fragile, John,” she told him.

“What are you doing?”

The voice brought their attention to the back of the room. Helen’s eyes widened a bit, but then at the same time she was grateful for Halia being there. “Come here,” she told the girl. Helen took a hold of Halia and then turned to see John with the other Helen in his arms. “Take her back to the infirmary. I’ll be right along.”

“Helen—“ John began to argue.

“Infirmary it is,” Halia spoke up.

When she reappeared, John looked quite confused by her side. “We need to get to Charley and Lucas.”

“I can get Lucas,” Halia told her.

Helen nodded and then turned to John to tell him where they needed to go. It wasn’t long until they were all in beds in the infirmary. John still looked confused, but they needed to finish locking everything down. “I promise I will explain,” Helen told him again. “We just have to have everyone safe.”

John nodded. “Tell me what I can do to help and I will do it. It was never my intention to bring danger here… It was unintentional on my part, I swear it.”

They headed back into the main area and Helen found that the others had been brought there already. “Do we have everyone accounted for?” she asked. James turned to her and she could see the worry all over his face. Her heart dropped a bit. “James?”

“We’re missing Ashley,” James told her.

“Ashley,” her John whispered beside her.

“I think I may know where she is,” both Henrys spoke at the same time.

It didn’t take long for both Henrys to confer with one another and then to approach John. The other John. She stood back and waited there with John. Oddly enough, having him there was a comfort…even though technically he’d brought the chaos upon them. They waited in silence after John had disappeared. He reappeared with Ashley.

“My God,” she heard her John breathe beside her.

“Start the protocols,” James commanded as he turned to Will and Clara, who then nodded in acknowledgement.

“Helen,” John whispered urgently.

“She’s not our daughter,” she stated quickly. “And I can tell you this, she’s not happy that I’m here…so I doubt she’ll be happy to speak with you.” She turned to John; she could see the range of emotion crossing his face. “John, this is a merging of two universes… When I went through that portal…after Adam…I changed history.”

“I’ve been searching everywhere for you,” he told her. “I feared you were lost for all eternity.”

Helen noticed that he looked genuinely concerned. “I allowed Imogene Worth to live…and with the help of James, we helped to cure you temporarily back then…”

“And this is the result?” he asked. “But Helen and James…”

“Yes,” she confirmed. “You and their Helen were together for some time. She hid Ashley as I had. But their John is very much apart of their family. And that girl…that girl that was in the bedroom. She’s John’s daughter.”

“What?”

“I intend to look for her, if she exists, when we return,” Helen told him.

. . .

 

“They’re persistent,” James said as they all watched the monitors.

“We should evacuate the children,” John told him.

“I don’t know that Charley and Lucas are well enough to travel,” James said and turned to Henry. “But Alex…all three of you should get to safety.”

“You need us here,” Henry argued.

“Tesla won’t be able to fix this on his own,” Erika added a moment later.

James looked over to where Ashley and Halia had been sitting. “I want you two to take them… Go to Moscow. You should all be safe enough there.”

“What? We’re not just leaving you!” Ashley shouted.

“We can help!” Halia added.

“I will not have either of you put into any further danger!” James snapped at them.

“The Cabal are swarming the Sanctuary! We can’t just sit in here and do nothing!” Ashley told him.

Helen had stayed back and had stayed silent. She had been surprised at how quiet John had been. He hadn’t moved far from her. She saw him take a step forward out of the corner of her eye and she turned to look at him. Helen reached out and took hold of his arm, but he was already speaking.

“I’ll go and work on the Cabal,” John told them.

“If you give me a weapon, I can help too,” she found herself speaking up.

James sighed and started to pace. “The Cabal have always left when they couldn’t get farther into the Sanctuary…”

“They’re after me,” John said. “Revenge.”

James turned to John and stared him down. “Revenge for what, John? What was so important that you would anger the Cabal to the point where they’d launch a full siege on this Sanctuary?”

Helen was about to speak when John beat her to it. She could see anger in his face, but he was holding his emotions at bay (at least as best as he could). She knew this was hard. Helen actually believed that John hadn’t meant to lure the Cabal there…

“They are responsible for the DEATH of my DAUGHTER!” John spat. “Perhaps you’ll call it bloodlust instead of revenge, James! Tesla and I went after every Cabal leader we could and we broke the Cabal down into disjointed camps! Are you going to tell me that my revenge was unjustified?!” He continued as he moved towards James, his anger growing.

Helen held tight to him. “John…” she whispered. When he looked at her, she could see that he was hurting. She knew that feeling too well currently. “Don’t do this…”

James stepped away from them and walked towards his John. “I want you to take Henry, Erika, and Alex to Moscow.” With a nod, John disappeared with them. He looked towards where Will and Clara were standing. “I wouldn’t fault you for wanting to join them.”

“This is our home,” Clara told him. “We’ll defend it as always.”

James nodded and then turned back towards Helen and her group. “Once my family is in Moscow, we can go in after them…”

“I honestly don’t think moving them is a good idea,” Helen told him. “They’re already extremely fragile.”

“You know we’re not leaving then,” Ashley spoke up.

“You know there was a time you listened to me,” James told her.

“I think that was…Tuesday?”

James smiled and then shook his head.

. . .

 

TBC…


	10. Shattered Reality

Chapter 10 – “Shattered Reality”

 

She wasn’t doing well and she knew it. Helen had noticed that John was starting to feel the effects of there being two John Druitts. It had to wait though, they all knew that. So, they pushed down the fatigue and the weakened state they were feeling. They fought together to rid the Sanctuary of the Cabal.

All she could concentrate on was pulling the trigger and reloading. John was her focal point. He had been staying close and though she was aiming at Cabal, she knew she had to stay with it. If John was still fighting, then so was she. Maybe it was pure stubbornness or maybe it was stupidity. She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that right now they needed to keep going.

“Helen?”

“I’m fine,” she told him. He’d ask every couple of minutes. She was his focal point; it seemed as well, just in a different sense. He kept in front of her; she figured that it was his way of protecting her.

The Cabal were really not match for them. They’d split up into pairs and were working their way through the Sanctuary in order to ensure that they’d gotten every last invader and secured the house.

They had cleared things on their level. John had even transported the bodies out of the Sanctuary. When he returned, she was sitting against a wall in the corridor. She’d felt an overwhelming exhaustion hit her and she’d been unable to stand anymore on her own. When she’d looked up and saw John there, she knew he was worried. She was worried.

. . .

 

When they returned back to the lab, they found everyone but James standing together in the lab. Ashley and Halia were a bit away from the others, but they were there. She looked around while holding onto John for support. She was afraid that if she let go that her legs would give out and the floor would find her.

She turned towards the infirmary and could see James. He was out of control and Biggie was trying to corral him in from what it looked like. She’d never seen him like that. James had been upset with her before, but he was absolutely hysterical. And then it hit her, he was in the infirmary. Helen, Charley, and Lucas were in there. Helen turned towards where the others were gathered.

“What’s happened? Have they gotten worse?” she questioned.

Will walked towards them, her Will. There was something very wrong. She could tell just from the look on his face. Something was very, very wrong. “Will?” Helen didn’t dare let go of John though. He was still the only thing keeping her upright.

“The children disappeared...including the unborn child,” Will told them.

She looked from Will to the infirmary and then back towards where everyone else was. She tried to take a step towards the others when she was grabbed by John before she could hit the floor. He held her tight.

“Magnus,” Will said.

“Where do you want to go, Helen?” John asked.

Helen pointed towards the group. “Tesla.” In a blink she was with the clustered group, Tesla standing amongst them. “Nikola, what is going on? How can Charley and Lucas be gone but Ashley and Halia remain?” she demanded. She was trying to understand what was happening, but with how confused she’d been it wasn’t easy.

“Halia is a product of a union John had with some woman. Mortal. Her counterpart isn’t present. As for Ashley…as John’s informed us, your Ashley is dead. She lived in your universe…” Tesla told them.

“How does that affect everyone else then?” she questioned.

“You, John, and Will will all feel the effects…as will our versions. Well, let’s be truthful. You’re all already feeling them,” Tesla said. “Henry’s safe for the time being. Distance has helped and he hasn’t been here nearly as long as you have, Helen.”

“How close are you?” she asked.

Helen didn’t know what else to do. For now, the threat was gone. But now, James was suffering and she didn’t know if the damage she had done could be undone. She looked back at the infirmary. James was sitting now and Biggie was nearby. She was happy that at least he was being seen to.

“I honestly have no idea, Helen,” Tesla told her. “I don’t even know if I can do it.”

“You HAVE to do it, Nikola,” John told him; the John that belonged there was obviously quite visibly upset. He kept close to Tesla; perhaps he was protecting Tesla from her John. “Helen’s life is still in danger…”

“I know that! Why does everyone think that I’m not aware of the stakes?! Give me some space!” Tesla snapped. Everyone backed off and gave him the space he requested except their John. “Plus, I can only put up with one Helen Magnus at a time… And though I love that you’re like the dark side of my Helen, I’m afraid we’re going to have to send you back to your universe.”

Eyes looked surprised and smiles popped up. She was confused for a moment. Suddenly Ashley and Halia were hurrying towards her and John. Helen kept still and then was spun around by John. James and Biggie had emerged from the infirmary with their Helen. The girls hugged her and conveyed their delight over seeing her walking about.

“Nikola, please tell me that once you figure things out that my children will reappear,” James spoke up. He kept close to his wife as she made her way to join everyone.

“I assume so,” Tesla said.

“Assume?” Helen questioned.

“I know I’m a genius, but that…I can’t even predict. I can only cross my fingers for you, Helen. I’m sorry.”

They stayed back and they stayed quiet; she honestly wasn’t sure how her counterpart would react to their presence there. She had just possibly cost her her youngest children and her unborn child. She didn’t thing that she could function.

“You do realize this Helen-Helen and John-John duplicate-ness is going to get very confusing,” Tesla announced. “I propose that we call our people by their first names and the others by their surname.”

“That’s reasonable,” Helen said. She turned to them. “I hope that is agreeable with you.”

She just nodded and then noticed that John was nodding as well. It didn’t seem like Henry or Will cared. All she wanted to do was to help them…and then go home so that they could proceed on with their lives. How she didn’t want to leave this utopia though.

“Nikola, what can we do?” Helen asked.

“Leave me alone?” he shot back.

“At least allow Henry to help you,” Magnus spoke up.

“Now now…you’re not following the rules. We’re calling him Foss,” Tesla said quickly. “Keep up.”

Magnus glared at him for a moment. “Let him help, Nikola,” she said sternly.

“I’m going to have to decide I don’t like you as much as I first did,” he told her. “You’re way too dark…and what are the children calling it? Elmo? Emo? Something like that… Far too much for my taste.”

She turned to Henry. “Please assist Tesla,” Magnus requested. When he nodded, she turned to James and Helen. “What can we do?” she asked.

“You both look like you could use rest,” Helen told her.

Magnus was a little shocked. Her counterpart’s voice was quiet and calm. There wasn’t a hint of sadness, though she could discern it in the other woman’s eyes. Only someone close to her would be able to see it, she knew that first hand. Nodding, she took John’s hand and took a step towards the infirmary and then realized that she needed Druitt’s help to stay upright. In a moment, his arms were around her and they were suddenly in the infirmary.

“Steady,” Druitt whispered. His arms carefully embraced her and carefully lifted her. He gently laid her on one of the beds. “Rest for a bit.”

“What about you?” Magnus whispered.

“I will sit by your side,” Druitt promised with a smile. “Keeps me out of trouble, right?”

Magnus smiled weakly and nodded lightly. She reached out and was able to touch his shoulder. “I know this is difficult for you, John,” she said quietly. Her eyes were getting heavy and she could feel the fatigue weighing heavily on her. She didn’t want to sleep though; she was too afraid that she’d fade away…

“I won’t lie,” Druitt said just as quietly as she’d spoken. “All I can think of is grabbing a hold of Ashley and teleporting away with her.” He took a seat next to her and bowed his head a bit. “It’s quite hard to see her living here…in this world…this perfect world…and then once we return I’ll be returned to the harsh reality without her there.”

She closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m surprised you call it perfect,” Magnus told him softly. Eyes opened again and she stared at him, he wasn’t looking at her at all. “James and Helen are together…and yet John is part of their family. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around it,” she mumbled, her eyes starting to close.

His face lifted and he looked over at her. Tears were falling silently down his face. He stared at her in silence for several minutes before he finally spoke. “The other John…he’s quite lucky…” he said calmly. Druitt reached out and softly caressed her cheek. “Any universe where Ashley is alive…is a perfect one… I would live a solitary life, Helen, if that meant our daughter was alive… To see her and you so happy…” He paused for a moment. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted, Helen. For you to be happy…for us to be a family…in some way…”

Magnus nodded. “I know…” she whispered and pushed herself to keep it together. Seeing him in such an emotional state almost pushed her over the edge. It wasn’t like John to show such emotions, emotions other than anger and rage. In this moment, she remembered why she fell in love with John Druitt.

“Sleep for a short bit,” Druitt said soothingly. He ran his hand along her face slowly as he stared at her.

So, she allowed her eyes to close and allowed the weight to pull her down. Even though her eyes were closed, she could still see John there in her head. She could feel his fingers on her skin and hair...it almost lulled her to sleep. A soft melody was hummed to her as she finally allowed the blackness to claim her.

. . .

 

“You know,” Tesla started. “I really do believe that once those intruders are pushed back over to their dreary universe that things will just slide—“

“Can we please not talk about this, Nikola?” Helen found herself snapping. She immediately regretted it. Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. She allowed herself to have a moment. “I’m…I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to be so short.”

“I know you’re worried—“

“I just can’t think about that right now,” she told him quite honestly. “I need to keep my focus on the device. To getting them home.” Helen had sent Halia, Ashley, John, Will, and Clara off to recover the Sanctuary. She’d already seen the destruction the Cabal had inflicted on her home. Biggie would normally do it, but he was sticking close to her and James. She’d noticed that, but had felt like it would be a good idea not to push him away. Now wasn’t the time to push people away… She just didn’t want to completely lose it.

“Speaking of getting us home,” Foss spoke up. “I would really appreciate us getting back to working on your machine.”

Helen smiled. “We’ll work it out, Henry. Don’t fret.”

“I know Tesla tends to pull things out of the dark at the last second,” Foss said.

“You’re supposed to refer to him as Foss,” Tesla told Helen. “I know it’s quite sad. Believe me, I’ve had to bite my tongue from referring to him as Henric…but he’s not your puppy.”

“Ignore him,” Helen whispered to Foss.

Foss smiled. “I always do.”

“I can hear you,” Tesla grumbled.

Helen turned to her old friend and looked over at the machine. Tesla had it opened and was obviously working on it again. She honestly didn’t know if she’d be of any help, but she needed something else to focus on. Helen looked over her shoulder for a moment and noticed that Biggie was serving James, who was sitting off to the side, tea and was obviously coming over to them next.

“...are you listening to me?”

She snapped back to find Tesla staring at her. Helen frowned and was ashamed. She hadn’t meant to drift away. She was tired and she was really trying to keep the emotional storm inside her at bay. “I’m sorry…” Helen whispered.

“You know, perhaps we should have another set of eyes on this,” Tesla suggested.

Foss sighed and moved around the table. “You do realize that I’m right here.”

Tea was set out on the table and cups were quickly filled and pushed towards them before they could even argue. Helen picked up her cup and sipped the hot tea. It was calming. She took a moment to savor it and then realized that Tesla was looking quite disgusted. “It won’t hurt you, Nikola.”

“Why do you all seem to keep forgetting that I’m not British? I don’t have the affinity for tea that you do! I’ll take wine though!” Tesla said looking around. “You know perhaps you all need to just use that space between your ears and actually record that I’m not British or from any other country that was conquered by the Brits and still retains an accent quite close to theirs.”

“I don’t think our Tesla goes off for this long,” Foss complained.

“Knowledge is power, my young canine friend,” Tesla said as he tapped the side of his head with a finger.

“You’re REALLY annoying, just so you know…”

“I can repeat that same concept in a different language if you’d like,” Tesla offered with a wicked grin.

“Please no…”

“Scientia est potentia.”

“Can’t we just work?”

Helen smiled a little and then decided to have mercy on poor young Henry. “Nikola, if you cease your harassment of Henry then I will make sure that a bottle of wine is brought here…”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Tesla asked.

“Behave, Nikola.”

“You’re making me repeat myself a lot today,” Tesla said with frustration. “Again. Where’s the fun in that?”

“Nikola,” Helen said slowly, but still kept her voice light.

“Fine,” Tesla said with exasperation and then sighed deeply. He looked over at her. “If I’m going to contribute all the work and genius to this project…can I at least have a request?”

“Depends on the request,” James spoke up from where he sat sipping his tea.

Tesla turned to him. “Don’t worry, James. It’s a G-rated request.”

“What is it, Nikola?” Helen asked. “You DO need to work on this with Henry…”

“Talk to me,” Tesla said as he moved closer to me.

“I have been.”

“No, no,” Tesla said as he waved off her response. “Talk to me in a dead language…”

She sighed and noticed that Henry was rolling his eyes in response. “Dum spiro, spero,” she said after a moment.

“While I breath, I hope? Really? Couldn’t you think of something…maybe with some innuendo?” Tesla complained.

“I thought you said G-rated?”

“Maybe I should rephrase that…” Tesla mumbled as he set off to work again.

“Are you asking my wife to seduce you in Latin?” James spoke up.

“It doesn’t HAVE to be Latin… I find it’s just so much sexier in a dead language,” Tesla played as he tinkered with the machine a bit. “I’m sorry if having your wife talk to me like that keeps me focused.”

“I dare say it distracts you rather than focuses you,” James argued.

“Maybe you’re right,” Tesla replied in frustration.

“Veritas lux mea.”

Helen watched as Tesla rolled his eyes at her husband and then turned to James. She knew that Tesla wasn’t going to be happy with James’ use of Latin against him. She knew that the situation was dire, she could feel the fatigue building in her, but she was pushing past it. She had to, to keep from spiraling out of control.

“Truth is my light, really?” Tesla questioned.

“How do you say…let’s get me back to my own universe…in Latin?” Foss asked.

Laughter broke out among all three of them, leaving poor Henry Foss just standing there looking confused. She moved towards the other Henry and smiled at him. “I’m sorry if we don’t seem quite as serious as we normally would be if this involved anyone else…”

“Coping mechanism,” Foss replied. “I understand that.”

“I promise you,” Helen spoke gently. “That we will figure out a way to get you and the others home…”

Foss smiled and nodded. “I do appreciate that…and you know, not treating me like I have the plague.” He looked over and glared at Tesla briefly.

Helen smiled and shook her head for a moment. She reached out and pulled Henry’s head towards her with one hand and kissed the side of his head. “I have faith that you can push Nikola into finishing this and impressing him with your own genius.”

Tesla sighed. “You kiss the puppy, but I don’t even get my request?”

“I’m going to go sit with James for a few minutes,” Helen told Tesla, a smile still firmly on her face. “Behave. I can see you from the chair.” She started to make way towards her husband.

“Ruin all my fun,” Tesla mumbles before returning to his work.

When she sat down in her chair, she found James staring at her. She knew that look in his eyes. He was all concern and fear and worry. It was all emotions that she really didn’t have the strength or courage to face right now. She wanted to say that, but to even utter it would bring the possibility of opening the floodgates. “Stop looking at me like that,” she barely breathed, their eyes still locked.

“I love you so much, Helen,” James whispered. “I just want you to know that.”

He stopped looking at her, but she continued to stare at him for a moment longer. “I know,” she breathed. She turned in the chair, so she wasn’t looking at him anymore. Helen allowed her body to lean against him and found his arm wrapping around her. How she’d give anything to change the situation. To be anywhere else right now with James. Not here. Not this.

“Just breathe…”

. . .

TBC…


	11. Sliders

Chapter 11 – “Sliders”

 

The arguing was what woke her. At first she’d struggled to remember where she was, but then she remembered when her eyes opened and James was right there. He had obviously been sleeping as well and had been awoken the same way she had. Looking over she noticed Nikola and Henry going at it. Sighing, she got to her feet and made her way towards them.

“What is the problem?” she demanded.

“He’s absolutely lost it this time,” Foss told her.

Tesla scoffed. “Me?” He shook his head, his hands on his hips. “I’ve solved the problem and your puppy from another universe is so sleepy deprived that he can’t see what my genius has created!”

Helen looked to James, who had moved to her side. “What do you think?”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t asked you to seduce him in Latin again,” James mused and laughed a bit.

“Be serious, James,” she told him, but couldn’t bring herself to have a firm tone with him. Tesla was always one that needed to be coddled a bit. He liked the attention; he actually tended to thrive off of it. So, they’d all learned to appease him by paying him attention if it meant that he actually cooperate.

“Does it work?”

They both turned to Tesla who looked even more exasperated now. “Well?” she prompted when he didn’t speak. Just because he’d solved the problem didn’t mean that the thing actually worked.

“Does it work? Of course it works! If it just was a fancy idea I had I wouldn’t have woken you two from your cuddle session over there,” Tesla said.

“You’re positive?”

“Well…no.”

“Nikola…” Helen said with slight frustration.

“Look, instead of just moving the thing that shouldn’t be here to where it should…I tweaked it. Now, a field should appear. Like a portal. We just sort of slide them into their own universe…shut down the machine…and TADA! I’m a genius…” Tesla told them as he clapped his hands together at the end. “So…can I have my wine now?”

“You’re going to slide us over?” Foss questioned with a slight smirk.

“That’s the word usage I decided to go with, yes,” Tesla told him. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“You know there was a show called Sliders, right?” he asked. “They jumped through portals to alternate universes.”

“No, I didn’t,” Tesla admitted with little interest. “But then I obviously used the appropriate term.”

“I should tell the doc,” Foss said and then paused as he thought about his words. “My doc…”

“You may as well let them sleep a tad longer,” Tesla told Foss. “We’re going to need to lock down the Sanctuary in order to ensure the safety of those inside the Sanctuary and nearby,” he said turning to James and Helen.

“How severe does this lockdown need to be?” James questioned.

“I’d suggest putting down the section and door blocks all over the Sanctuary, including every resident habitat you have them equipped on,” Tesla said. “Basically, if we can lower something that protects areas, then we need to.”

“I’ll get that started,” James volunteered and headed off to initiate protocols.

Tesla turned to Helen alone now. “That’s not all. It really would be prudent to get everyone who doesn’t need to be here as far as staff goes…so like you…James…the kids…”

“I’m not leaving,” Helen told him. “I’m seeing this through…and you should know well enough that James won’t leave either.”

“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “There may be some pain for you when she does finally leave our universe though… Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But seriously, make the others go to Moscow for a bit. We’ll call them back when we’ve gotten rid of the clones.”

“We’re not clones,” Foss complained.

“Close enough,” Tesla said quickly.

. . .

 

Henry had woken them and at first she’d felt quite fatigued, but somehow she found the strength to get up and move about on her own accord. John had stuck close to her just in case. He’d been so quiet. When they entered the main lab area, they found that everyone was assembled. They’d already been warned of the plan. Tesla had told them to lockdown the residents and the Sanctuary levels as well as send all staff to the Moscow Sanctuary until it was over.

“If Tesla says that you should go, then you should come with us,” Ashley argued with her mother.

“I’m going to see this through and then I’ll call you all right back home,” Helen told her daughter.

“Biggie and James are staying, YOU should be coming with us,” Ashley insisted. “He said that it could be painful for you to stay here… Why chance it?”

“This is my home, Ashley. This is my Sanctuary,” Helen said. She reached out and pulled both Ashley and Halia to her. She kissed each of their cheeks. “I will be fine. I always am, right? People are here to keep an eye on me. I’ll be safe and you’ll be home before you know it.”

“We ready?” Will asked as he and Clara moved towards Ashley and Halia.

“Ye-“ Ashley started, but stopped when she was interrupted.

“Can I have a quick second?” Halia asked, but before she got a response she moved towards where Magnus and Druitt stood. “I wanted to thank you,” she said with a smile.

“You’re the one who assisted with James’ treatment and was the one who had been aware that symptoms were not flu,” Magnus told the young woman with a smile. She would miss Halia. She was smart and kind.

Halia flings herself at Magnus and holds tight to her. “Thank you for caring.”

Magnus found herself holding onto the girl. It was hard. Ashley was mere feet from them and she found herself feeling like she was losing Ashley and other children (children that weren’t technically hers). Tears welled up in her eyes as she sniffled and tried to hold herself together. When Halia pulled back, she just smiled at her. “Remember that someone is proud of you. Never forget that you have a talent that cannot be denied. You pursue it if that’s what you want in life.”

Halia nodded and then quickly hugged Druitt. “Be safe,” she told them both before hurrying back towards the others.

“Ashley,” Druitt spoke up. “Can we please just have a single moment?”

Magnus had been surprised that John had spoken up. She had expected him to just remain silent, but she knew all too well how hard it was to see Ashley there. She had to admit that she was actually grateful for his request. It meant that she could see her closer one last time before they went back to their reality.

Ashley walked over to them and was visibly stiff. “Look, I know you didn’t mean any of this…” Ashley started to say.

“Be happy,” Druitt said. “Live your life to the fullest.”

“Do you need to be hugged?”

Magnus burst out into tears a bit, but a smile was on her face. She was so happy to see that somewhere…somehow…Ashley was alive and well. Since Druitt wasn’t moving, she took the opportunity to hug her daughter for the last time. A moment later, she felt John’s arms around them as well. “Goodbye Ashley,” she whispered.

It felt like it was over in a split second. Ashley moved back to Halia, Will, and Clara. The four of them disappeared a moment later, bound for Moscow. She wiped tears away, but found herself feeling so close to breaking down. John was holding her hand a moment later.

“Such an emotional scene,” Tesla spoke up. “Do you think we can push you back to your universe now?”

“Nikola!” Helen scolded.

“What? All the crying and hugging makes me physically ill,” he complained. “I just want to get this show on the road.”

“You were never one to understand boundaries,” James added a moment later. “I guess you really can’t teach old dogs new tricks.”

“Really? You’re referring to me as a dog?” Tesla asked. “We’ve got our own lycanthrope right here,” he said as he motioned to Foss who was standing not too far from him. “Please reserve the dog jokes for the proper species.” He pointed to himself. “Vampire, remember?”

“Oh, you’ll never let us forget, Nikola,” Magnus spoke up.

Tesla turned to Helen and James. “Oh please let me send them home now…”

“Are you all quite ready?” James asked them.

Magnus looked at Druitt and then over to where Will and Henry stood nearby. “A minute,” she requested of them. She wanted to say goodbye to James and his Helen. It felt like it was important.

“Right, well while you all have your touching moment…” Tesla spoke up with annoyance. “I’m going to warm the machine up and I’m going to try to keep myself from being sick.”

A high pitch shrill announced that the machine was on. She cringed slightly as she stopped in front of James and Helen. “I am so sorry the trouble I’ve caused you both,” Magnus started to apologize.

“Are you going to be okay?” James asked.

The question confused her for a moment. James knew her far too well. Sometimes it was a little scary. She swallowed and nodded. “I believe so,” she said quietly. Her face felt tight in places already from crying with Ashley there…and now here she was about to leave her dear friend behind who wouldn’t be waiting for her on the other side of Nikola’s portal. “I really miss you, James.” A few tears appeared and rolled down her cheeks, but before she could wipe them away she was pulled into a hug. James held her for a moment and she allowed herself to mourn him again. How much she truly missed him.

He pulled away and his hand went to her face, forcing her to look at him. “Promise me that you won’t do anything rash once you’re back home,” James requested. She nodded. “I want to hear it.”

“I promise, James,” she forced out as she wiped the tears away. She tried to take some solace in the fact that in this universe all those she loved were alive, together, and happy. Magnus turned to her counterpart. She honestly wasn’t sure what to say to her. There was so much uncertainty. Would Charley and Lucas reappear? Would her unborn child reappear like the other children? How much damage had she really caused to their lives?

Words couldn’t convey her thoughts right now. Not accurately anyways. Magnus took a step forward and hugged the Helen Magnus that belonged there. She seemed shocked, but she didn’t let go. She held her with her eyes closed for a moment, wishing that once she stepped through Tesla’s portal that everything would fall right back in place for them as if she’d never been there. Magnus pulled back and pushed forward a weak smile.

Magnus wasn’t even back across the room to John yet when Tesla started the portal. It appeared against the infirmary outer wall. It wasn’t as she’d imagined. For some reason she’d thought it would be full of white and blue and green. It wasn’t. It was dark purple and black swirls highlighted with orange accents. There was no comfort or hope in it. It looked more like a black hole, but she doubted that Nikola would want them gone that badly to send them to their deaths.

“Take care of her, John,” she heard James say and then John bowed slightly in response.

“Time to go home clones,” Tesla announced. He motioned to the portal that had appeared, pride all over his face. “Sic itur ad astra!”

“Thus you shall go to the stars?” Druitt asked. “Not exactly making me feel confidant that we’re not going to die the moment we step through, Nikola.”

Tesla shrugged in response. “No one was giving me anything to help me work earlier,” he told them before looking over to Helen and James. “It’s not my fault that I couldn’t think of a more optimistic Latin phrase. Maybe your Nikola Tesla can do better.”

“Doubtful,” Druitt replied with a grin.

“Time to go, Gentlemen,” Magnus announced and motioned for Henry and Will to go through. She waited a moment. Looking back over her shoulder, she pulled in a deep breath.

To leave this world behind…

There was far too much she’d seen. There was far too much that she found herself absolutely jealous of. So much perfection… So much that she’d never expected to happen or survive…

“Helen,” Druitt whispered as he took her hand. “Time to go home.”

His voice was gentle and she knew he was right. It was time for them to leave. It was hard to leave it all behind now that she’d seen what could have been. “John…” she barely breathed.

His arm wrapped around her and turned her towards the portal. “Come along,” he said as he guided her towards it. They paused for a moment before finally taking a step through.

“HELEN!”

James’ frightened voice, she swore yelled out her name. She’d already been in the portal then and was unable to turn around and go back to see what was the matter. Had something happened to her counterpart? Or had she merely imagined it? She honestly didn’t know.

Moments later, they were standing in the same spot but obviously in their universe. She looked around and couldn’t believe it for a moment. She held tight to John’s hand and tried to breathe. It was hard though. It was like being given everything she wanted and then having it yanked it away.

She focused on breathing and holding it together. She’d allowed herself to be outwardly emotional enough already for one day. Magnus really only felt more exhausted and drained by the emotional outbursts she’d had. She may as well still be suffering from there being two Helen Magnuses in one space.

“Let’s get everyone checked out,” she spoke up a moment later. Her heart wasn’t in it, though. It was just a standard thing she’d said on many occasions before. She felt her hand being squeezed and looked down at her hand before looking up at whom it belonged to. She was still there standing with John.

“Including you,” John told her.

She gave him a slight nod before letting go of his hand.

…back to the life she’d had over a hundred years ago.

. . .

TBC…


	12. Through the Looking Glass

Chapter 12 – “Through the Looking Glass”

 

“HELEN!”

It was like the world had been reset.

James probably wouldn’t describe the things that followed her counterpart going back to her own universe in that way. She’d almost instantly collapsed to the floor after everyone had gone through the portal. Helen had been taken over by a combination of physical and emotional pain. James had been at her side instantly.

Giggling could be heard before Biggie could even make his way to her side as well. She turned her head to see Charley and Lucas poking at each other as they made their way out of the infirmary. She couldn’t take her eyes off of them. Her two beautiful youngest two had been returned to her.

“Let’s get you to the infirmary,” James told her gently.

“They’re okay,” she breathed. Helen managed to move her gaze from Charley and Lucas to James. She smiled through the pain. She held out a hand to her children. “Come here you two,” she said. The two of them came to her and James and they held them for a few moments. By then, Biggie had arrived and was instructing James that he needed to call the others home and see to the children so that he could examine her. James didn’t want to leave her side, which she could understand but she also wanted her children all home safe and sound as soon as possible.

“You shouldn’t have taken such a chance,” Biggie started to lecture as soon as he had her alone in the infirmary. “You should have gone to Moscow with the others.”

“You know as well as I do that teleportation could have harmful effects,” Helen told him with a sigh. “But I felt like I needed to be here…”

Biggie grunted in an agreeable manner. “The baby’s returned…” he finally said. “You’re very lucky… I will be insisting that we monitor it for a couple of days.”

She nodded and thanked her lucky stars that the child within her was there once again. She’d seen how destroyed the other Helen and John had seemed around Ashley, the child that they had both lost…she didn’t know if she was strong enough handling losing a child. Her ability from taking the source blood had been longevity, but she didn’t want to outlive any of her children…

“You rest here for a little while and then you can go back to your room,” Biggie insisted.

“I need to speak with James,” she insisted. Helen had started to get out of bed when she found herself being forced to lie back down.

“I will get him,” Biggie told her. “And make sure Tesla isn’t depleting the wine stores…”

Helen sighed, but stayed there. She tried to make herself a little more comfortable, but she hated to lie there with just thoughts. She wanted to hug all of her children and kiss them and know…really know that they were all safe. The silence afforded her time to think…time she didn’t want. Right now she didn’t want to reflect, she just wanted to be held in his arms and told that things would be okay.

Closing her eyes, she covered her face with her hands as she thought. Had she brought all of this upon herself? She knew that she shouldn’t have kept the pregnancy from James, but it had been for good reason…at least at the time it had been for a good reason. Now, she wasn’t so sure. She was just thankful that everything that had been cruelly snatched from them had been returned as if nothing had transpired.

“Darling, are you feeling ill?”

She found herself feeling as if she was going to both cry and smile at his voice. James was always so thoughtful, thinking of her before himself. Lowering her hands, she looked over at him. Helen reached out and grasped his hand. “I’m sorry, James,” she whispered. It was heartfelt and tears were in her eyes.

Those that she was close to were the ones who could see her in such a state. She’d learned not to be ashamed of being able to have emotions and showing them on her sleeve around them. The outside world saw her more as strong, business-like, and possibly even cold. In front of James especially, she felt as though he could see inside her very soul.

“Shh…” James cooed as he ran his hand along her forehead and then through her hair. “You need to rest.”

“Please forgive me,” she begged. “I was going to tell you about the baby…I swear I was.”

He smiled at her and then leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I forgive you, Darling. I know that you would tell me…after all, eventually you would show and the secret would no longer be so secret.”

His good mood was contagious. She smiled up at him. “You know, I didn’t expect the gift of another child…”

“Neither did I,” he admitted. “It was a surprise, but a good one…”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.”

“Did you think that I wouldn’t happily welcome another child into our family?” James questioned.

Helen smiled. “Of course not. I know you well enough, James. My reason for keeping it from you was fear of miscarrying the child or putting undue stress upon you.”

“Undue stress?” James asked. “Don’t you think that the last month has been undue stress? Worrying about what could possibly be wrong with you? Something that’s been kept from me? But that John, Biggie, and Ashley all knew about?”

“John knew before any of us did,” she explained. “I don’t know exactly how…”

He sighed. “You have to remember that I’m not as fragile as you sometimes treat me. Especially now, I’m not fragile. We’re in this life together, Helen. Never forget that.” He gently caressed her cheek and leaned in again, but this time kissed her full on her lips. “Never forget how much I love. Never forget how much I love our family. Never forget how precious this extended time is.”

“I won’t,” she breathed a moment later.

. . .

 

They had allowed everyone a few days to settle back in. Some of them had been visibly shaken by the events that had occurred. And though all of their children and staff had returned to the Sanctuary, John and Tesla had both left as soon as things seemed to be under control. It reminded her of times long past. They used to have to worry about things like intruders and invaders. That had all changed when the public had seemed to remain calm about the existence of abnormals and it seemed their ease of living with abnormals among them.

It had taken her nearly a decade further before she’d actually trust the world outside with the care of her children in their public schools. Of course, none of those in her care had ever cared for public school, but she still thought that it was best for them. It allowed them to learn leadership and excel with their social skills.

It was true that her staff were included in her idea of family. She’d raised both Henry and Will since they were mere boys. Clara had come to her as an adult, but she felt like she’d helped her along. While Erika had been a more recent addition to her family, they had opened her eyes to the acceptance of the world.

“We are so thankful for our family,” Helen spoke up. She and James were standing at the head of the table together. It had been a family day. They’d all worked hard on fixing different dishes for the feast. Everyone helped, including Lucas and Alex. “We have said this before, but in case some of you have forgotten… James and I include you all into our family.”

“It has been very stressful for us all, but at the same time,” James said. “I think that it has opened our eyes. We have been lax in believing that the world we live in was completely safe for us. That isn’t so. We need to continue to be cautious and observant. Life is precious and we need to remember to be thankful for the wondrous lives we live.”

“And though we thought that this feast and time together would be a fitting time of celebration and to remember all that we have accomplish and all that is still to come,” Helen said. “But other than that…James and I also have an announcement to make,” she told the gathered group. She looked over at him, excitement building up inside her. Helen had had this same announcement before and she thought that it wouldn’t affect her so much, but her emotions were swirling inside of her.

“In several months, we will have a new addition to our family,” James finished.

He always could tell when she needed him. The emotional rollercoaster ride of pregnancy wasn’t something that she looked forward to, though. She was pretty sure that she could blame hormones for a lot of her behavior. It was one thing when she knew about it. She could ensure she was taking the correct dosage of supplements along with sleeping much more than she normally did. That all tended to level things out as far as her hormones went.

There was cheering and clapping and she found herself being hugged all of the sudden. Helen smiled and hugged back. Her children were the first ones to celebrate, but Will and Clara and then Henry and Erika all congratulated them. Everyone’s happy faces made it all easier…everything…everything that had happened. In the end, they were all still together and virtually unphased by the events that had taken place.

“And!” James spoke up a moment later.

She’d already taken her seat and looked up at him in confusion. Helen didn’t know what other announcement there could possibly be. Though, she had to admit that there was rarely something that her beloved James had ever said that she regretted him speaking aloud.

“Helen and I have decided to actually have a ceremony…so since I suppose that getting remarried when you’re already married seems a little silly, I think we’ll be calling it a vow renewal ceremony instead,” James told them.

Ah yes. She’d forgotten that she’d promised him that. She didn’t regret it, though. She knew how much he wanted the ceremony, how much it meant to him. She wasn’t going to take it back. Helen smiled up at him.

“Does that mean like dresses and flowers and everything?” Charley asked excitedly.

“And ribbons and whatever else such is involved in dressing such events,” James told his daughter.

“Are you going to have it here?” Erika asked as she bounced Alex on her knee.

James looked to Helen. “We haven’t gotten that far in discussing such things. I suppose it would be fitting, but perhaps going somewhere else may be easier…”

“Our track record may suggest having it here may be a better idea,” Ashley pointed out. “Otherwise the party might get crashed by people we don’t want there.”

“She makes a good point. I mean we can revamp the security system, but if they’re really determined then that’s not going to stop them,” Henry spoke up.

Helen nodded. “I think the security settings need to be updated anyways,” she said. “I want you and Erika to work with the other houses to make sure that they all have updated security settings. And see, if possible, if you can find out who was responsible for that attack in Perci.”

“Will do,” Henry and Erika spoke up together.

It was often like this. They would balance personal with business at the table. It maybe wasn’t the best thing to do, but it tended to work for them all. It was no sooner that they’d been talking about the attack on the Perci Sanctuary that Will will launching small pieces of food at Ashley and Halia. Helen sighed and shook her head and then looked over at James. “Sometimes I wonder about them…” she breathed.

James smirked. “They’re just all children.”

“Hey!” Ashley screeched as a piece of food hit her in the face.

Halia was the next one to scream and then quickly ducked under the table. She started to grumble in French.

“Children! Really?!” Helen finally shouted. She looked over at Will and Clara. “Really? You two are worse than Lucas and Charley and Alex…” She’d raised Will for a great many of years, but he’d never picked up on how the rest of her children acted. She was grateful that at least Henry had some better manners than Will.

James looked under the table. “Halia, Darling… I think it’s safe for you to rejoin us at the table then.

Halia eventually crawled back into her seat, still grumbling in French. She glared over at Will and Clara and then went about picking at the food remnants in her hair and on her shirt.

“You do realize that you’re not speaking English again, right?” Will asked.

“The sad thing is that you would know what she’s saying if you’d actually have paid attention before,” Henry said to Will and then looked over at Halia. “And you’re totally right.”

. . .

 

Helen found Halia sitting in the library just reading. She smiled as she approached her. Though Ashley was her own flesh and blood, Halia tended to be far closer to her than Ashley. She’d been catching up on everything that had happened while she’d been under a forced bed rest order.

“I have been informed that you helped alter the treatment for your father with…my counterpart,” she said. Helen still found the whole idea of there being a different version of her quite hard to grasp. She’d seen the other Helen Magnus in the flesh, but still…

Halia closed her book and it sat in her lap. She nodded. “She just wanted to help…”

“And that you were able to give her more valuable details on the deteriorating condition of Lucas, Charley, and myself? You knew it wasn’t the flu…”

“I couldn’t be sure,” Halia told her. “I’ve only helped you a few times… I mean, I’ve had my studies…but that’s not the same as real life experience. And naturally, when I go away to university, I’ll learn more just from my studies there.”

Helen sat down next to her daughter. “I’m sure you know that I really don’t want to lose you even if you’re going to university. Call it selfish,” she told her as she wrapped an arm around her. “I am proud of you, Halia. I know I don’t say it often to any of you…and I’m sorry for that.” She reached up and brushed a stray strand of Halia’s blonde hair out of her face. “We’ve always tried to not push any of you in any one direction. I didn’t want you to feel like you needed to follow my footsteps…”

Halia shrugged. “I just think that it’s all really neat…and I feel like I’m fairly good at it.”

“You are actually excelling far behind what I would expect,” Helen told her. “And perhaps I should allow you to assist me more in the lab.”

“Really?!” Halia asked. Her eyes widened and lit up. She sat up a little straighter in her chair.

Helen smiled and nodded. “Really… I would love to have you there to assist. You’ll be so far ahead in your studies once you get to university, perhaps they will allow you to test out of some of your classes.” She really was proud of Halia. The girl had been through a lot in the seventeen years that she’d been in that world and she’d shown an incredible ability to adapt and thrive in all environments.

. . .

 

“Why is it that you always invade my office?” Helen asked, pretending to sound irritated with him. “You have an office down the hall…”

“Your office gets such better light and views,” James said as he stared at his wife as he took a seat across from her. “Besides… I get bored… I like having company…” He leaned back in the chair and just stared at her.

Helen studied him for a moment. “Tea?” she questioned.

“I’d love some.”

She nodded and then picked up the phone and requested tea from Biggie. He was going to bring her tea anyways, now he’d just be bringing two cups and the whole kettle. Turning back to him, Helen folded her hands on her desk in front of her. “So… What are you here to talk about? Shall I guess?”

He smirked. “You know me far too well, Helen. Impress me. What am I here to discuss?”

Tilting her head a bit, she studied him again for a moment. “Most likely something grim. Are you here to discuss our mortality?” she asked, surprised at the idea of having that discussion. It was quite the contrast to how she felt right now, so alive and so full of hope for the future. They were expecting another child… “James, if that’s what you’re here to discuss then you can leave right now,” she said with bitter irritation in her voice.

“Helen—“

There was a knock at the door and then tea was brought in. Biggie served it and then headed back out of the office. He closed the door as he went. She had a feeling that he’d heard part of the conversation and knew that they would need privacy. She tried to ignore James as she sipped her tea carefully.

“What if—“

“I don’t want to hear it,” Helen snapped.

“Is it really that hard to TALK about it?”

“James, what do you want to say? That we’ve both lived over a hundred and fifty years and maybe we need to think about dying?”

James sighed and set down his cup. “Helen, I know you love me. I know that…but…”

“But?”

“But if I start to die again…I don’t want you to move land and earth to save me,” James told her. “If it’s my time…then it’s my time. I’ve lived more than a lifetime. I’ve lived a blissful life with you and our children, Darling…”

“If it’s treatable, James…”

“Not at the expense of your wellbeing. “

“Isn’t that my decision?”

James pushed his cup to one side of her desk and leaned forward, holding his hands out to her. “I want you to be HAPPY, Helen.”

“I’m not going to be happy without you…”

“The children need you.”

“They need their father,” she countered.

“John--“

“John’s hardly ever here, James,” Helen told him. She took his hands and squeezed them. Helen stared at him. “If it’s our time, that’s fine… I can accept that… I know that eventually everyone dies, James.”

“You saw the Helen from that alternate universe,” James told her. His voice was quiet. “You are so different from her… I don’t want that future for you… I want you to be happy… Hate and fear and unhappiness had clouded her life. I don’t want you to be in such a dark place.”

She stared at him. She honestly didn’t know what to say. Helen knew that they were very different. The other Helen Magnus had seemed different to her, yes they looked identical for the most part…but how she acted, walked, spoke…it wasn’t her. Helen squeezed his hand again and looked down at their entwined hands as she thought about what he was saying.

“The children…they are the most important things in our lives… They’re who we live for,” James said. “Four of our five children are going to be both from source blood parents. Halia has one source blood parent. They all need to be protected. I know that the world outside seems to have evolved into a more peaceful and tolerant and safe place…but we really know that that’s not the true reality of our lives.”

“I know,” she breathed. Tears were in her eyes. It was just so much to process and to feel. She hated the thought of losing James. She didn’t feel like she could go on without him. He’d been such a strong part of her life for so long. James had been her rock and her love. He’d always been her best friend…

“Our children need us to teach them how to live in this world… They need to know that they can’t trust everyone,” James told her. “We need to prepare them for whatever their futures hold… I know that we both see them as our angels, but we both know we can’t keep them sheltered for long…”

“I think we’ve already passed that point, don’t you think?” she asked thinking back to Perci.

James smiled at her. “Alis grave nil,” he said softly and slowly.

“Missing Nikola?” she asked with a bright smile. “Nothing is heavy,” she said. “To those who have wings.”

“And we’ll give them the wings that they need in order to fly…”

. . .

 

Things seemed to finally be settling down, everything was back to normal for the most part. Will and Clara were out on a mission with Ashley. Henry and Erika (and Alex even) were all working on strengthening their defenses and working with the other techies at all the other Sanctuaries. Halia, Charley, and Lucas were at school and Biggie was cleaning. Everything seemed to be doing as they should be doing. The only one she hadn’t checked on was James and she was pretty sure that once she returned to her office she’d find him there rather than in his own. She swore that she needed to amend that. After all, once in a while she needed to be able to go into her office and work without distraction. James, though she loved him dearly, was a distraction.

She was feeling surprisingly well; she’d adjusted her food and supplement intake along with adding in longer periods of rest and sleeping. It hadn’t taken much to make her feel better. Biggie had been checking on her and the baby every day now. So far, things looked normal.

Voices coming from her office convinced her to step up her speed. She was able to peek in and see James and John speaking in her office. They were discussing, she could tell that much as she stepped into her office. “James, I swear I’m going to walk you down the hall and show you your office…” she spoke up as she stepped into her office and made her way to her desk.

“We came to see you, Helen,” James told her.

“Oh?” she asked as she sat down in her chair. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon, John,” Helen said as she nodded to John.

“James sent for me,” John admitted. “I hope you’re feeling well?”

She nodded. “I am, thank you.” Helen looked over to James, she thought that he was done with bringing up topics of conversation that she didn’t want to talk about. She had a feeling that this would be much the same. “Why do I think this is a conversation I don’t want to have?”

“Because you’re right,” James said.

Helen sighed and leaned back in her chair. She wished that she’d thought far enough ahead to think to bring along some tea. Tea and a snack would have come in handy right now.

“I wanted John to come here to discuss what would happen if anything were to happen to me,” James told her. “I want him to agree that he’ll return to the Sanctuary and be here for you and the children on a permanent basis.”

“You do realize that I’m not property, right?” Helen asked him. “You can’t just give me away!”

“Helen…” James said softly. “John is the father of our children… They need a father. If I’m not around then it makes sense for John to come here. You’ll need someone that you know you can trust and lean on. I’m just concerned about you and the children, is that so wrong?”

“I told you that she’d be upset about this,” John said as he leaned back in the chair he’d taken up.

James sighed. “I just want a bit of solace knowing that things will be taken care of should something happen to me.”

“Don’t you have faith in me? Faith that I can handle things here?” Helen asked.

“Oh, I know you can, Darling,” James told her. “But I refuse to let you turn into that other Helen.”

“So, what do you expect?” she asked getting upset. “You expect that if you were to die, for me to mourn you and then move on to John?” She turned to John for a moment. “No offense, John, but there were reasons why it didn’t work out.”

“I know,” John said.

John was obviously there just because he’d been summoned. He didn’t seem like he was pushing it at all. She knew John would always be there if she called, wasn’t that enough?

“That’s not what I meant,” James told her with frustration.

Helen sighed. “I’m sorry, James… I’m afraid that it’s probably far too soon for me to even feel up to discussing this. I watched three of my children disappear and I almost died myself…and if the other Helen hadn’t helped you then you would have been facing death as well. I just… I can’t handle it right now.”

“If it makes you feel better about things, James,” John spoke up. “I will promise to stay if I’m asked to…”

“Thank you,” James said as he gave John a bit of a nod.

The sound of the main door downstairs slamming could be heard all the way in her office and she cringed a bit. Looking over at the clock on her desk, it was more than likely her children home from school. She looked back over to James and John. “The children are home… I hope that you’re satisfied with John’s response and that I don’t have to discuss this rather depressing topic anytime soon?”

James sighed. He nodded though a moment later.

No sooner had silence passed between the three of them than had the children invaded her office. They greeted her and then James and then John. It was good to see them all so happy and so bubbly. Charley and Lucas were practically bouncing. Halia had lit up more when she’d seen John there. She knew that she and James had done their best raising Halia ever since John had left her with them, but there was something that lit up in both Halia and Ashley when John was there.

“Can we have fencing lessons now?” Charley asked.

“Homework first,” Helen insisted.

“Fencing. Homework. More fencing. More homework?” Lucas tried.

“Only if your father is going to supervise that whole process,” Helen told them. “And I mean not in my office…”

James smirked a bit. “I’m pretty sure that we can find another place to do homework and practice fencing.”

“Daddy John,” Charley said. “Guess what? We get swords once we finish ALL of the fencing lessons!”

Lucas nodded quickly. “We do.”

“That doesn’t seem safe,” John said as he turned towards Helen and James.

“It’s to be mounted on the wall,” Helen spoke up. “Décor only.”

“Unless the Sanctuary comes under attack and we need a weapon,” Lucas added. “Ashley asked…”

“Of course she did,” John said slowly as a smile crept up on his face.

“Dad? Can we go now?” Charley asked as she bounced a bit impatiently.

“Don’t you all require snacks and beverages?” James asked them.

“Biggie will bring them!” Lucas told him as he tugged on his father’s arm. “We can ask and then it’ll appear like magic!”

“When you see Biggie,” Helen spoke up. “Make sure you tell him I’d like a kettle of tea.”

Lucas nodded.

James was practically hauled out of Helen’s office and she held back her giggles. It was quite entertaining and she felt like it was a bit like payback for all that he was stressing her about. She looked over and saw Halia still standing there. “You don’t want to join them for fencing?”

Halia shook her head. “Can I help you in the lab today?”

“I wasn’t planning on doing lab work today,” Helen admitted. “I have far too much paperwork to catch up in order to be on track for the rest of the week.” She paused for a moment before speaking up again. “Have you told your father that you’ve been looking at universities?”

“Oh?” John spoke up.

She knew that John was always intrigued by what all of the children wanted to do, but especially those that were biologically his. It was good, though. John was always their cheerleader. He never had anything negative to say. When Ashley just wanted to get her degree in criminal justice and not really pursue anything past the fact that she could say she had a degree, John had just said that it was a good idea.

“I can come back here anytime,” Halia said. “But…I suppose I’ll have to have a dorm room… It would sort of be nice to have someplace to have friends over while I’m at school at the very least.”

“Have you chosen a field?” John asked.

Halia nodded. “Medicine.”

“Oh…following in someone’s footsteps, are we?” he asked looking from Halia to Helen.

Halia took a step forward. “You’re not upset, are you?”

“Of course not,” John said as he looked back towards his daughter and then motioned for her to sit in the chair across from him. “I want you to be happy. That’s all. I guess I was just a little surprised… I know you’re bright, but that’s a lot to commit to…”

“Helen said that I may be able to get into an accelerated program or be able to skip some of the classes because I already know a lot,” Halia explained. “They don’t have xenobiology though…”

“You’ll just have to learn that here,” John told her. He reached out and took her hand. “I’m very proud of you. I hope you know that.”

Her face lit up and Halia hugged him. “Would you come visit me at university?”

“No matter where you go,” John told her quietly.

Helen smiled as she watched the exchange. She’d already told her her feelings about Halia’s goals in life and how she was proud of her, it was good to see John do the same. She’d have to remind James to say something to her. Sometimes, it just needed to be said by all of them to all the children.

“I better go study,” Halia said a moment later as she stood straight and pulled her messenger bag from the side of the chair. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“I can,” John said.

Halia smiled brightly. “Okay! I’ll see you then!”

As Halia headed out of her office, Biggie stopped her. Helen smiled at the sight of the tray with her tea on it. She quickly noticed that he’d brought a few snacks as well. Biggie was probably the one person in the whole Sanctuary that was best on keeping her on track of keeping up eating every two hours, if not a small snack every hour.

“I was going to run those standard tests on residents,” Biggie told her. “You said before I could have Halia help.”

Helen nodded. “By all means.” She smiled even brighter at Halia’s enthusiasm. Once Halia and Biggie were gone, she got up from her chair and poured tea for both her and John. She carried it around her desk and over to the chair he was sitting at. She handed him a cup and saucer before sitting down.

“You know I didn’t know James was going to ask such a thing of me until I was here,” John said before sipping his tea.

“I know,” she said with a sigh. “He means well, but it’s stressing me out far more than I think he believes it will.”

“Stress isn’t good for the baby…”

“No, it isn’t,” Helen told him. “But perhaps now he’ll breathe a little easier with the knowledge that we would all be okay…”

“You know all you have to do is call, Helen, and I’ll be here,” John told her. “All you have to do is ask, and I’ll stay… I’ll always be here for you and the children…”

“I don’t want to make this your life if it’s not what you want, John,” she told him. “The Sanctuary isn’t for everyone, I know that.”

“Not like I have much better to do,” he pointed out. “Though things did not go well between us before doesn’t mean that I don’t still love you… We just couldn’t be together. We’re much better when we’re not a couple, I know that…but I will love you for all eternity, Helen…”

. . .

 

TBC…


	13. The Future Doesn't Look So Grim

Chapter 13 – “The Future Doesn’t Look So Grim”

 

James’ voice still haunted her. How she wished there were some sort of lines of communications that they could open in order to connect with the alternate universe. She had to believe that her counterpart there was okay. It was possible that she’d just hallucinated James’ voice. Once they’d gotten back to their Sanctuary, it had taken them all a bit of time to regain their bearings and balance.

“I want everyone checked out before we do anything else,” she spoke up and looked to them all. John was staring at her. She’d thought she was imagining it before, but he was definitely staring at her. “And I mean all of you…”

“Let me go first, Doc,” Henry spoke up. “Then I can get to making sure we’re not in any danger.”

“What kind of danger are you thinking of?” Will asked.

“Tesla was involved. It could be anything,” Henry said as he got to his feet and helped Will to his as well.

John helped her to her feet and she thanked him. “Shall we?” she asked as she looked to Henry.

. . .

 

John was the last one to be seen. Will and Henry had both checked out fine and were assessing the Sanctuary and to see where Biggie and Kate were. They had obviously not been at the Sanctuary since they hadn’t been brought to the other universe as they had been. She assumed that they were on some kind of mission, she just hoped that they were both safe.

“You know you don’t have to hide in the shadows,” she said quietly as she finished looking him over. He’d been hiding close by while she’d been tending to Will and Henry. He’d also been staring at her ever since they’d gotten back. It worried her a little, but she wasn’t sure really on what level the worry was emanating from.

“Does what we saw make you think?” John said quietly as he allowed her to look him over.

“About?”

“They’re happy, Helen,” John told her. “They may not be married or romantically involved…but they make it work… Can’t we have that?”

He looked quite honest. “They have two children to bond over… Ashley’s gone, John…” she told him quietly. She kept her gaze downward as she finishing looking him over. “Plus, there’s the small fact that last time I saw you, you re-ignited the energy elemental inside of you.”

“For you…I can push it down,” John told her. He paused for a moment as he buttoned up his shirt. “What about Halia? What if I have a daughter somewhere in this universe?”

“I told you I’d look for her,” Helen said quietly. She had to admit, after working with the girl and seeing her…she had felt a need to seek her out. Maybe she needed a child around her again. She wasn’t sure what it was… There was something inside of her that just decided that once they were settled here that that would be her mission. It might be a mission she did alone, but she would seek out the child if she were alive.

“When?”

“Tomorrow, John,” she said quietly as she turned to look at him. “I think you can agree that the search for her can start after we’ve all had some much needed rest.”

John bowed a bit towards her. “Of course.”

Helen turned, intent on leaving. She honestly didn’t know what to do with John’s presence there. At the moment she didn’t feel like he posed any real danger, but one could never be too sure when it came to John. She hated to think that, but especially since they found out that his violence stemmed from the energy elemental that took him up as its host. It seemed like whenever she got back the John Druitt that she remembered back at Oxford, she lost him again.

“If I could bring James back from the dead, I would…” John spoke up. “To see you happy… That would bring me the most joy in the world…”

She turned back to him. She knew that deep down; the John she had known and loved meant that. Though Helen couldn’t be sure if she could have made things work how they had in the other universe. But how she found herself quite jealous of that universe for so many reasons. “Thank you, John,” she said sincerely. Helen sighed. “I know you say you can hold back the anger of the energy elemental…but perhaps we should think about extracting it and containing it somehow…”

“Like an exorcism…” He paused for a moment. “I wouldn’t want you to risk endangering the Sanctuary again,” John told her. “It could have killed all of you…and done far worse last time.”

“We would be ready for it this time. I’m sure of it. Henry could figure out how to cut off systems so even if it jumped, it wouldn’t have a way to do us any harm,” Helen told him. She thought for a moment and then her face softened and so did her voice. “John, if we find Halia…if she’s in a position to bring her into the Sanctuary… I want her to know her father.”

“I want that as well.”

“But I want her to know the man that I knew at Oxford,” Helen told him.

John nodded. “That is fair… I wish I could have been that man while Ashley was alive and well.” His voice was sad and he looked away from her. It was clear to Helen that she wasn’t the only one still mourning the loss of their daughter. Was it really a pain that any parent could ever recover from?

“I know,” she whispered.

“Lock me in the SHU, Helen,” John said. “Put up the EM shield.”

“John—“

“It’s not like I have anything better to do, right?” he asked as he walked towards her. “If I KNEW that I could keep it under control…all of the time…I wouldn’t suggest this. I want you and the others here to be safe from me.”

She could see that he was telling the truth. He was sincere. It scared her a little. She could see that piece of John Druitt that she loved so much. “John, are you sure?” she asked.

“After loving you for more than a hundred years and doing you so much harm in that time…I can tell you honestly that I want to be better,” John told her. “If that means that I’m locked up in the SHU and I’m put on the bottom of your list until you’ve solved other problems, then I’m fine with that.” He reached out and touched her cheek lightly with his hand. “Let me be the man you knew at Oxford.”

“John, even if I can manage to excise the elemental from inside of you…that doesn’t mean that we go back to how things were…” Helen told him quietly.

“I know,” he whispered. “But what I said before was true… I will love you, Helen. For all eternity…”

. . .

 

It was odd being back home. It had been some time since she’d been back in her own bed. She’d truly missed it. Just laying back in her bed had made her feel like crying, she was on the verge of tears but trying to hold them back. How silly to be so sentimental about the place… She’d been in seclusion for over a hundred years, though…she honestly hadn’t ever thought she’d be able to return to her own time and her own home.

Helen sighed as she closed her eyes and thought about all the things she felt she’d missed even though she hadn’t been gone that long. Biggie and Kate were at the UK Sanctuary working on a case, so she wouldn’t see them until the morning. It was a little odd that so little time had passed for them.

What ifs clouded her brain.

She’d seen so much…too much…in the alternate timeline. It had made her want to go back in time herself and fix things… Helen knew she couldn’t. She wouldn’t…but how appealing the idea of fixing things were… How she’d love to hold her daughter in her arms again…

Tears had somehow pushed their way down her cheeks and she found herself wiping them away. So many people had been alive in the alternate universe that she loved and missed… Her father had been among them and how sincere he’d been with her. He’d treated her like she was his daughter…there was no difference in how he’d treated her. He’d told her to jump… She honestly didn’t think she could jump. Helen could see herself standing on the edge…but to jump… His wisdom didn’t know her world… Her father had been lost when Hollow Earth had been destroyed…

John had been so different and had made her John want to be the same way. John, James, and that Helen had such a different and foreign relationship. It was something that she couldn’t still quite grasp. Could she fix John? Could she contain the elemental? The other James and Helen had just continued subduing the elemental within John with electricity, but could she come up with a more permanent solution?

How could she live with the John she knew and loved so long ago?

So much had changed in the time she’d been alive. She’d lived with the angry, hateful, and violent for most of her life…how could she transition to the nice and loving John? He’d always loved her, so he said, but this was different… Could she deal with seeing him on a daily basis? Deep, deep inside of her she wished to have that love back but so much closer to her heart she was afraid that she couldn’t handle it. She’d built so many walls since then… Helen’s mind immediately went to the fact that she, John, and Nikola were the only ones left of The Five. Could she really deny herself the comfort of someone who loved her and new her so well?

In the alternate reality, The Five were all alive in some form. Nigel was still long dead, but Clara was alive. James had been alive and actually for the most part far well than she’d seen her own James for some time. Her didn’t have the machine that regulated things, which she believed was a big step up. John and Nikola were still just as healthy as her versions were…though their John’s mental health was a lot better…

When they were younger…so much younger…she remembered what big plans they all had. Their intelligence was probably partly to blame combined with their arrogance. Though, sometimes she wondered if the arrogance was what kept those of them still alive…alive. She found herself sobbing as she stared at a picture. It was one of her favorite pictures. Though she had so many pictures over the decades she’d been alive, the one of her with her good friends at Oxford was probably her favorite. Did they all have their flaws? Yes. But did she miss them all dearly? God, yes.

And then there was Ashley…

How much harder it was now. She had seen her daughter alive and well and thriving in the alternate universe… She’d been able to hug her and touch her… She’d seen how well Ashley had belonged in that family, so fiercely protective…but Helen couldn’t blame her. Her Ashley had been the same way…

Though she’d waited some time to actually have Ashley, she always felt like it was worth it. It was hard to imagine her daughter growing up in Victorian London. No, her daughter had grown up with Henry and Biggie had been there for them both. They had been their own little family for some time…

Getting to her feet, she pushed the tears away but they kept coming. She turned off the bedroom light and began to strip. All she wanted to do was to escape into a dreamland. How she wished she could be the other Helen… Crawling back into her bed, she pulled the blankets up and settled her head on the pillow. She allowed the sobs to overtake her and shake her body. Eventually, the darkness of sleep tugged at her and pulled her away.

. . .

 

“Henry, can I speak with you?” Helen asked as she walked into his lab area. She knew that he and Will had been working all morning to make sure that things were where they were supposed to be.

“The abnormal levels are all still secure and everything is the same as we left,” Henry reported. “Though I am working to strengthen everything. Just in case… I mean, the Cabal did infiltrate the Sanctuary…but I honestly can’t pinpoint where… Our defenses may have been weakened when the two universes held the same space.”

Helen smiled. He was always quite passionate when it came to his job. Henry had always meant to do the best he could do and make things as perfect as possible. “Henry, I have faith that you will do everything necessary,” she told him. “That’s not why I’m here though…”

“I’m feeling fine,” Henry told her. “So, don’t worry about that…”

“It’s not that either, though I’m glad there aren’t any effects surfacing from our encounter with the other universe,” Helen said. “You have been here at the Sanctuary for some time. You grew up with Ashley and of course Biggie was around… I just,” she said and then stopped herself. “You were always there like a brother to Ashley…and I know this must all be extremely hard on you. To see her and then have her taken away again…”

“Yeah,” Henry replied a little sad. “But it was sort of nice to know that she’s alive somewhere, right?”

Helen nodded. “I know I’ve never said as much, Henry…but I have always thought of you as a son. You, me, Ashley, and Biggie were a family…and we still are. I know that probably the last year or so I haven’t been as available to you…but I wanted to make sure you knew how much I care about you.”

Henry nodded with a smile. “I know, Doc. You’ve been going through a lot too.”

“Still no excuse for not making sure that you’re okay,” Helen told him.

“We’re a family, right? That just means that sometimes I can go to Biggie. And he’s been there… Sometimes we just have to take turns being out of it… The Big Guy did that when he was refusing treatment… I think we all have to go through those periods in our lives,” Henry told her. He paused for a moment and studied her. “Are you alright after everything?”

“Truthfully? No,” Helen admitted with a small smile. “I hid away on an island for a hundred and thirteen years. I changed the future so it became an alternate universe. It’s quite hard seeing all the changes there and then coming back here and having so many of the people we love are still gone…”

“Well you know I may not know what to say,” Henry offered. “But I can always listen. I can be good at listening… I mean, I know you can always talk to Will or Biggie…but I’m here too…”

Helen smiled. “I will keep that in mind.”

“Well, I better finish looking over these upgrades I’m thinking about. Do you think you’ll have time later to look over them with me? It’s not a lot, but it’ll mainly just help strengthen the security system,” Henry explained. “Having all the other houses instituting the changes would be a good idea.”

Helen nodded. “Later then.” She headed out of his lab and then stopped and turned. “Henry? I’m proud of you.” She smiled again and then headed out. It felt good to say it. She’d praised Henry before, but she knew that sometimes just the phrase ‘I’m proud of you’ did wonders for people’s confidence and self-esteem. She needed to make sure she said such things more often. Not just to Henry, though, to everyone.

. . .

 

How she felt like she was disconnected from everything… She was back with the people she cared about…in her home…and yet she didn’t feel like she belonged. It wasn’t like being in the alternate universe. No, this was almost like walking through the halls as a ghost. Of course everyone could see her, but she didn’t feel like she could feel the solid surfaces around her, not even the floor.

She was going through a lot of the motions today. She was still exhausted after crying herself to sleep. The bleak beginning of the day hadn’t given her hope for much more. She’d explained to Kate and Biggie what had happened and still it hadn’t felt real…like nothing had happened. Helen knew it wasn’t a dream…or nightmare…though.

Research had taken her mind off of things, even though her research was for Halia. She’d promised John…and herself. But it had been research…it distracted her from what felt like a different lifetime. She felt fragmented. So, she decided to push everything before this morning away. It was hard though. The Sanctuary held so many reminders…

The computer beeped and she turned to it. She’d set it to scan Hawaii and had hoped that Halia’s mother hadn’t ever left the state. There were three girls born in the timeframe she’d entered with the same first name. None surfaced with the surname Tallis. She printed her results. She’d been able to exclude one because of DMV photo. The other two weren’t in the system with a photo as far as she could find. Either way, she knew she’d have to make the trip.

If Halia was there, she’d have to talk to her in person. She needed to know this girl. She would be different from the blossoming and intelligent young woman her counterpart and James had parented. Helen had been preparing herself for the fact that this Halia would no doubt be practically foreign.

With the information printed, she headed towards the elevator. She’d promised John that she’d look for Halia and he’d no doubt be waiting for a report. John had been so controlled before…and he’d insisted on her locking him in the SHU. She felt like she had no choice. She had to keep him in the loop. He would want to go, she knew that. With John in such a fragile state, though, she didn’t feel like that would be a good idea. Helen didn’t know how he would react. She didn’t know what life his daughter would have led in this world…

Entering the elevator, she found Biggie standing there. She’d talked to him and Kate both earlier, but she knew that he was concerned for her and hadn’t given him the time to talk to her. Helen just wasn’t sure if she could bear it. He was one of her dearest friends…and besides The Five (or what remained) he was her closest and most trusted friend. He didn’t leave the elevator and she prepared herself for a discussion. Helen reached out and hit the correct level button.

“You’re going to see Druitt, aren’t you?” Biggie asked once the doors were closed.

She nodded but couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “John will be expecting me to share some information with him… I want him as calm as possible.”

“Will and Henry told me all that happened,” Biggie told her. “More than what you told me.”

“I didn’t feel like all the details were necessary,” she lied. She knew exactly what his response would be. He’d be extra vigilant of her. He’d always tried to protect her, even when she didn’t need protecting. He’d never liked John, though had good reason. John had been the man she’d first loved…the man she’d imagined living the rest of her life with…if the energy elemental could be excised from him, then didn’t she owe it to him? If she could just have a friend back, wasn’t that enough?

“You can never trust him…”

“The violence stems from the elemental inside of him,” she said as she stared straight ahead. “You know that as well as I. What he did in the past…it wasn’t John…not after the source blood.”

“How can you be so sure?”

She finally turned to him. “I can’t…”

“Helen…I don’t want you to get hurt…no more than he’s already inflicted on you in the past.”

His voice was sincere and she knew he meant well. She nodded. “I know.” She pulled in breath. “I just… I have to do this… I don’t think I can move forward until I do…” The doors opened and she sighed. This was all so hard. “Thank you for your concern,” she said quietly and gently. Helen reached out and patted his arm before leaving the elevator.

Walking into the SHU, she made a beeline for John’s cell. She wanted to get it over with. She wanted to just run away…to look for Halia… She just hoped that when she found her that she’d somehow feel less distant. She hated feeling that way.

John was sitting on the bed in his cell. She liked to think of it more like a room because of what furniture they put in the humanoid ones. But this was the SHU, so cell was more fitting. His head was bowed, but the moment she touched the doorknob, his head flew up. She watched him for a moment; he seemed calm which was a good sign.

She entered his cell and approached cautiously. He stood where he was and waited. “John,” she greeted.

“Helen,” he said with a slight bow of his head. “Have you found anything?”

“I am going to Hawaii myself,” Helen told him. “I found more than one girl around the same age there. I’ll meet them all and be able to ensure if any of them are your daughter.”

“I want to come,” John told her as he took a step forward.

Helen shook her head. “I’m sorry, John. With the energy elemental still in control inside of you…I just can’t chance it.”

John became visibly angry. “She’s MY daughter!”

“I know that,” Helen told him, trying to stay calm. “You have to trust me, John.”

“Use your deliberator pads on me again! Something else… Anything… I’ll do anything so that I can see her…”

He was practically begging her at the end. “John, you need to trust me now… Trust that I will find her and that if I can…I’ll bring her back here to the Sanctuary.”

‘IF you can?”

“I can’t force her, John.”

“Yes, you can.”

“Trust me.”

“I do…” he finally admitted quietly. His head bowed and he took a step back and then sat down on the bed there. He allowed his head to fall into his hands. “I do… I just…”

“I know…” she whispered. “I’ll be back soon. I’ll let you know what happened when I return.” She stared at him for a moment. When he didn’t say anything, Helen nodded and then backed out of the cell. Soon enough wouldn’t be sooner for John, she was sure. She wanted to cry, how crushed he’d looked when she’d told him that.

Helen leaned back against the wall of the elevator once she got there and closed her eyes after pressing the button. How she wished she could make the day go faster. Yes, taking John would make it all a lot faster, but it would also be possibly explosive and dangerous. She didn’t want to chance that.

Soon enough she’d be on the plane to Hawaii, which she hadn’t told Will about yet. She had a feeling that he wasn’t going to be happy with her going alone, but she needed her space. Helen had thought about telling him once she was already boarding the plane, but knew that the Sanctuary would be taken care of if she just told him now. He’d argue, but she’d ultimately win the argument.

She just hoped that Halia was there. The Halia she would be looking for. And deep down…she hoped that the girl would agree to come back to the Sanctuary with her… It would be good for John and she believed…it would be good for her.

. . .

 

TBC…


	14. White Wedding

Chapter 14 – “White Wedding”

 

James was getting the wedding he so wanted. Helen had found a Victorian style wedding dress, it wasn’t vintage but it was mainly in the same style. There was lace around the collar and the bodice had buttons down the front. The sleeves went to her wrists, which Ashley had thought was silly. The whole idea, though, was to give James the wedding they never had, and since they were both born of the age of Victoria…it seemed only right. The skirt was very much like something she would have worn except the whole dress was white. She still didn’t understand why the whole ‘white wedding’ concept was so important to James, but she was still happy to do it.

The girls had even all gotten new dresses; James had practically had a heart attack when she’d told him that they didn’t need new ones. The girls had decided on just picking one color and all wearing what they had in that color. James had insisted though that they all get dresses for the occasion. The girls had picked out a blue-teal and gold jacquard fabric, which instead of having dresses bought…James had a seamstress make them. It still made it so that each dress was different for each girl. The dresses were definitely suited to each girls’ personality and style.

“You know we’re going to get into trouble for this,” Helen pointed out.

Though they’d been married for fifty years now, Biggie was acting like this was the wedding day and that they needed to follow all of the traditions. One of which included not being able to see each other before the wedding, the day of. Cells phones made their sneaking around much easier. She felt like a school girl. They were hiding in one of the rooms that were normally used for guest rooms. They’d even taken to hiding BEHIND the bed in case someone opened the door, they could duck down and use the bed as a shield. Sitting there on the floor probably just made her feel more like a school girl.

James just laughed and kissed her. “I don’t care, I couldn’t stand having to not see you anymore. I’m far too accustomed to waking up next to you.”

Helen smiled. “Just so you know… If we’re caught, I’m blaming you,” she told him as she pointed at him chest. She giggled and leaned against him.

“I think I can probably take the blame.”

“You know…in 1886…I had blonde hair…” Helen pointed out. “I hope you don’t expect me to have blonde hair today…”

James smirked. “I have to say… I couldn’t have thought I’d like the brown so much, but I do love it.”

They heard noise and giggled a bit before ducking down. Helen covered her mouth with her hand, holding it tight to keep any accidental giggling from escaping. The creak of the door opening let them know that they were being looked for. They huddled together and stayed quiet and soon the sound of the door closing again told them that they were safe. They stay quiet for a bit longer though. They couldn’t be found out just because they started to laugh the moment that the door was shut.

How was it that their children and Biggie were all about holding to traditions and they were made to follow them? Helen honestly didn’t know. There was something about them, she supposed.

“Are you excited about later?” he asked.

The wedding was going to be held in the Sanctuary in the Cathedral. It had been a room used for various different occasions. Some of them were happy while others were quite sad. It was quite beautiful though. And since it was mainly as a vow renewal, they really didn’t need outside people. They’d conduct the ceremony tradition normally with the walking down the aisle and such. She and James would exchange vows and then there would just generally be a celebration. She still didn’t understand the need to dress up, but it was supposed to be a wedding, so they’d all be dressed up.

“Of course I am,” she told him with a smile. “Though, I’ll admit that I still don’t understand why this is so important to you. But I am glad that you’re so happy.”

“We’ve been married for fifty years, Helen,” James whispered. “I just wanted this ceremony to be beautiful and to be a fitting marker for the event. I think this is important…for us…and for the children…”

Helen smiled. “Always the romantic.”

“Are you saying you’re not?” James asked, tilting his head a bit.

“I think you know the answer to that.”

“Do I?”

She smiled brightly and then leaned in and kissed him. After a moment, she pulled back just a millimeter. “Do you?” she barely breathed.

James seemed like he could barely breathe. “Sometimes I worry that you’re a siren,” he managed to get out.

She just laughed before leaning back in for another kiss.

. . .

 

The music playing in the background was instrumental and light. The cathedral had been decorated with flowers and candles. It was actually quite romantic and so beautiful that she had shed a few tears upon seeing it for the first time.

She was dressed in her white dress and her hair was pinned up and curls cascaded down. It had been a little odd to look at herself in the mirror looking like that, especially with her current hair color. Ashley was currently holding the white and pink roses that were her bouquet. She and James stood there hand in hand.

“Because of you, James, I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again. I look forward with great joy to spending the rest of my life with you, caring for you, nurturing you, being there for you in all life has for us.” It was hard for her to keep herself composed. Though this had been James’ idea originally, there was no way that she’d have passed up this special moment now. There was something so emotional about it. Though the extra emotions could very well be the extra hormones floating around.

Though James had always had a special look for her, Helen had noticed that the look he’d given her since they’d seen each other in the cathedral that it was like when they were back at Oxford. It was like the summer of 1886. She’d been with John then, but James had still looked at her that way, she remembered it. It had made her tear all the more. She swore that even though she was wearing waterproof mascara that it was going to be running down her face just the same.

“Helen, our miracle lies in the path we have chosen together. I renew my vows with you today knowing that the true magic of love is not to avoid changes, but to navigate them successfully. Let us commit to the miracle of making each day work - together.” James’ voice had wavered a couple of times, but he managed to keep his words coherent and the tears were kept back for the most part.

“I have spent the last fifty years as your husband,” James added a few moments later. “I want to spend another fifty years of absolute joy with you…and our family.”

Helen just nodded. She couldn’t speak now. Emotions were running like crazy for her. Tears were blurring her vision and she found tissues being pushed towards her. She took one and was comforted by James’ loving eyes once the tears were wiped away. “I love you,” she managed to get out.

James just smiled and pulled her into a hug. “I love you,” he whispered. His lips kissed the side of her face and he whispered into her ear. “You look absolutely stunning.” He kissed her forehead and then kissed her lips.

There was no denying that they loved each other. She couldn’t imagine a life without James… Maybe that was what he was trying to point out before? It suddenly hit her that she really knew that if her life was this bright and full of happiness with James in it…how dark it would feel without him. She understood now why he’d be so insistent about John staying at the Sanctuary if something where to happen to him.

Though she’d loved John once, he wouldn’t bring her the light she felt with James, but he would certainly keep her from spiraling down into the deep dark void of absolute despair. He would be there for her and the children. That was all that James wanted. And all of the sudden, she felt like maybe she knew why the other Helen suffered so much. And suddenly, she felt pity for her counterpart.

Tears fell from her eyes again and she found herself clinging to him for a moment. She held back the sob that was trying to make it out of her mouth. She was sure that her mind had been clouded before because of everything she’d gone through, but now…now everything was so crystal clear…

“Mom?”

She turned towards Ashley’s voice and pushed forward a smile. “I’m okay,” she whispered and reached out and pulled her daughter to her. “I’m just really happy…”

“I’m glad,” Ashley told her mother as she hugged her.

When Helen pulled back, she looked over at their children. The girls were so beautiful in their dresses and Lucas looked quite dapper in his suit as well. “You all look so lovely,” she gushed a bit.

“Why don’t we get to the reception area,” James suggested.

Helen nodded and looked back over at him. His hand was held out for her and she accepted it. She walked towards him and then finally wrapped her arm in his. She wiped her tears with her free hand. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I swear it’s the hormones.”

“Being emotional isn’t something to apologize for on our wedding day,” James confided quietly to her. “You’re beautiful and I’m so lucky to be married to you.”

“You’re not the only lucky one,” Helen told him with a small smile.

. . .

 

Though it had been their wedding, James had decided that that was a good time to give gifts. He’d picked up the gifts in Italy and they’d been virtually forgotten, by him at least. After the reception, which was lovely, a feast along with lots of dancing. He’d insisted that they have some time alone, just the sole family. He’d actually picked up some items for the others as well, but he’d give it to them another time.

“I love presents!” Charley exclaimed.

James handed them all boxes of different sizes. “Go on…” he said after a moment. “Open them.”

He’d gotten Ashley a leather bracelet with a metal flat metal pendant with the word ‘wisdom’ on it. Ashley was probably the strongest of all the ‘children’ they had in the Sanctuary, but knowing the wisdom in some situations would help. She was learning though. It was merely a reminder.

“Thanks!” Ashley exclaimed and immediately put it on.

Halia and Charley both received a gold flat circular pendant with their first name initial on it, which was attached to a necklace. Both girls seemed rather excited about their necklaces. They were simple and yet he knew that they’d both appreciate them. They wanted them on immediately and then both hugged him. It was thank you enough for him to just see their faces light up, the hug was just extra.

For Lucas, he’d gotten him a leather bracelet like Ashley’s, except his said ‘courage’. Lucas was young still, but he tended to be the more of a thinker and less of someone who could take care of himself if danger was about. It was one of the reasons why he worked so hard with him and Charley during fencing.

“Thanks,” Lucas said quietly as he examined the bracelet.

James turned to Helen. “And for you…”

“I don’t need gifts, James,” Helen told him. “You know that.”

“For the woman who already has everything….” James said. He presented her with a box as well.

“Thank you, James,” she told him as she accepted the box. Helen slowly opened it and was surprised at the gift inside. It was a silver necklace that at the center of it was a horizontal infinity symbol that connected the chain. It was quite fitting, she had to admit. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“I hope you like it… You’re not as easy to shop for as you once were…” James teased.

Helen smiled and turned to him to secure the necklace in place as she held it up for him. It was quite fitting, that was for sure. Helen thought it was a nice surprise. Of course, traditionally the bride and groom were to exchange gifts but they’d decided not to. They both had so many things already, but Helen did appreciate the gift.

She reached out and touched James’ shoulder. How extremely happy she was today. She honestly hadn’t thought that it was possible to feel so renewed, but she did. Helen had such hope for the future. Her children were all safe and doing well. Her husband was in a state of health he hadn’t been for some time. They were happy and expecting a baby. It felt so perfect.

“Time for bed, everyone,” James told them.

“Aw…why can’t we hang out? I was going to watch a movie with Will and Clara,” Ashley complained.

“Tonight, let’s have some peace. Tomorrow you can all act like the teacher left the classroom,” James told her.

“Aww…we’re not THAT bad…”

James and Helen both looked at their eldest at the same time, who just smiled and shook her head. “It’s been a long day. I think it’s best that we all keep in our own separate rooms,” Helen told her.

“Fine… Movie marathon will have to wait until tomorrow,” Ashley said.

It wasn’t long until all the children were on their ways to their own respective rooms. Helen sighed and looked to her husband. James looked tired. She understood that. “I think we’re the ones who really need the bedtime,” she said as she wrapped an arm through his. She started to lead him out of the room and in the direction of their bedroom. Time for bed for them all. Though today was a perfect day and this was its end…she just thought of it as a new beginning for them all. It was that simple.

. . .

 

TBC…


	15. A Piece of My Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used in this chapter is "No One is Alone" from Into the Woods

Chapter 15 – “A Piece of My Soul”

 

Her flight had seemed like it was never going to end. She landed at Honolulu International Airport on O’ahu. This wasn’t going to be easy. Though O’ahu wasn’t the biggest of the Hawaiian islands, it was the most densely populated. She had addresses, but that didn’t mean anything. This was why she’d booked only a way one ticket, though.

However long it took, she would seek out the two young women named Halia. She would find John’s daughter if she existed. She just was taking the opportunity more as soul searching. She needed this time. Will had already texted her about twenty times since she’d entered the plane and was forced to turn off her iPhone. He wanted to make sure that she was sure that she was okay on her own, he wanted her to know that someone could be there to back her up on the next flight out.

Her text back was simple:

I’m okay, Will. I’ll contact you when I know something. It might take a few days. Don’t worry if you don’t hear from me for a few days.

Whether or not he’d honor her request, she couldn’t be sure. She just hoped that he had the good sense to honor it. After all, it wasn’t like she was incapable. Sometimes it baffled her at how much Will seemed to worry about her when he’d known her for so little time. Maybe it was just a protective nature, but sometimes she found it oddly creepy.

Focusing on her task at hand, she moved towards the car rental desks. She had carried on everything she needed. She’d packed light. She honestly didn’t need that much and traveled a lot better when she didn’t bring so many things from home. Maybe it was that it made things so much simpler.

She missed simple.

Perhaps if she really wanted simple, she could have left her iPhone on Will’s desk. She was pretty sure that that would only cause the whole team to come after her though. Plus, one never knew when an iPhone would come in handy.

“Reservation?” the rental car clerk asked.

“Magnus.”

“Just need you to sign a few things,” he said and pulled out the paperwork and pen.

It didn’t take long. She’d purposely ensured that everything would be in order when she landed. She didn’t want to deal with having to wait forever for anything. She just wanted to be on her way. Though she’d thought about just getting around on foot and by taxi, there was something far more dependable with the rental car.

. . .

 

She sat on the beach watching the sun set. She’d met the first Halia on her list, a Halia Ketchem. It wasn’t John’s daughter, though. It had been quite easy once she’d made it to the central region of the island. The other girl was supposedly in the North Shore area, but she wasn’t going to travel and find her in that one day. She was going to take her time. So, she decided to watch the sun set.

It looked like a watercolor, especially how it looked above the ocean. Though it was something she wished she could share with someone, it was quite peaceful there by herself. The sounds of the waves gently rolling back and forth.

This was what she needed.

Space.

Peace.

Time.

Was it really that much to ask for?

What it really that much of a surprise?

Helen breathed in deeply and just took in the colors in front of her. She’d shared other sunsets with people she cared about, but this time…this one was hers. Helen wished she could bottle it and take it with her. She’d taken a picture of it and thought about using it as the background on her computer when she returned back to Old City. It would be a reminder of a peaceful time. She deserved that.

Laughter pulled her from her thoughts as she watched a few young adults (though she still felt that no matter their age, from their behavior that children would be a better word) run along with surfboards. They were tagging each other as they made their way down the sandy beach. Oh how foreign it was to her to be young in this era.

Though she appreciated the solace of this moment, she wouldn’t have minded sharing this moment. It was one of those times where she realized that this was one of the moments that she would have loved to share with Ashley. Tears filled her eyes and she tried to think about how much Ashley would like this trip. A trip without any abnormals as their primary or even secondary objective.

Helen watched the kids on their surfboards on the ocean and wondered if Ashley would have enjoyed surfing. They could have scuba dived and hiked around the volcanoes. How she’d missed out on so much with her daughter…

“I miss you,” she barely breathed. Silent sobs racked through her body as she forced herself to finish watching the sun set. There would be time alone to grieve further… Tomorrow she’d be off to North Shore in order to find Halia. She just hoped that the correct Halia was there.

Tomorrow the sun would rise again and the day would begin anew.

. . .

 

“Halia,” Helen repeated. When she got only a confused look in response, she sighed and then slowed down things a moment later. “Ha-lee-ah,” she said slowly, purposefully pronouncing it slowly in order to make sure that she was understood completely. She wished she had a photograph, but she just didn’t and somehow she didn’t think that a sketch would do Halia justice.

Plus, for all she knew, this Halia was dying her hair neon green with pink highlights. Halia could have a nose ring or an eyebrow ring. Helen was pretty sure that there were so many possible teenage rebel simple chances that it could have affected her appearance.

She was getting nowhere.

“Are you quite sure? Her mother would have been Lana Tallis.”

“Lana dead,” someone suddenly said.

Helen spun around towards the voice and the corner of her eye had caught a glimpse of blonde that had seemed familiar. When she turned towards the blonde glimpse, she saw it was just a runner. She wasn’t sure why the runner had caught her attention. Helen turned back towards the person who was speaking. “Lana Tallis is dead?” Helen questioned the person. She’d searched both birth and death records for Halia and her mother. She’d found a marriage certificate on file for Lana and Molokai Tallis. There were no death records that she could find.

“Yes,” and older woman said with a nod. “She and husband died. Car accident. Three years ago.”

“Did they have a daughter?”

“Yes,” the woman said with another nod. “Lia. Sweet thing.”

“Lia?” Helen asked and then realized that she could see Halia abbreviated in that way. “Do you know where’s at?”

“Lia use to sing and dance at Island Studios,” the woman told her as she pointed vaguely in one direction down the street. “But that was when she was small girl. She grown up now if she still alive.”

Helen frowned a bit but thanked the woman for the information. She pulled out her iPhone after she started to head away. She searched for Island Studios and came up with a few in the state of Hawaii. Only one was thankfully on O’ahu though. It wasn’t too far and Helen just hoped that they knew something about Halia’s current whereabouts. As she headed in the general direction of the studio, she did a search for the studio and the name ‘Lia’. Pictures came up. Some of them were older, but she definitely was on the trail of the correct Halia.

She peered down at the time on her iPhone as she neared the studio. It was still fairly early and she was hoping that she’d be able to have lunch with Halia. Wouldn’t that be something? It was something that she needed. To be able to have this tiny piece of the utopia she’d seen before.

When she found the Island Studio, she pulled on the door and was relieved to find that it was open. Entering, Helen looked around. She found what looked like a main desk, but no one was there. She took that as a cue to look around. As she walked down one of the brightly painted corridor, she took in the pictures from previous events done at the studio. Helen picked up on all the pictures of Halia in the photos. She looked happy in all of them.

A person suddenly came into view as she peeked into the main theatre in the building. An older man was standing in the aisle watching a set of performers on the stage. As she approached him, she then realized that someone was singing. Her gaze turned to the stage, but she couldn’t take in faces as she was still too far away. Helen took a moment to listen to the song.

“Mother cannot guide you.  
Now you're on your own.  
Only me beside you.  
Still, you're not alone.  
No one is alone. Truly.  
No one is alone.  
Sometimes people leave you.  
Halfway through the wood.  
Others may deceive you.  
You decide what’s good.  
You decide alone.  
But no one is alone.”

Helen took another step forward and tapped the man on the shoulder. “Excuse me,” she spoke up. The man turned to her and he looked irritated. “I was wondering if I could ask you some questions?”

“You are not someone I know,” he said shortly and turned back to the stage.

“I’m looking for Halia Tallis. Lia,” Helen said. “Her father just recently was informed that her mother passed away and has sent me to collect her.”

“Lana and Kai died three years ago,” the man said. “Lia doesn’t know any other family… She’s been living on the streets since she ran away from foster care…and who can blame the girl.”

“Her father travels all over the world… That’s probably why he didn’t know about the accident,” Helen said quickly. “Is she up on the stage there?” She took the opportunity to step forward a few steps so she was past even past him. She suddenly saw her. “There she is…”

“She works hard. Smart girl,” he said. “She’ll be eighteen soon and then she won’t have to worry about being put back in foster care.”

“I want to give her a home. A good home, I promise you,” she said as she turned back to him.

“Lana never spoke of Lia’s father. I don’t think Lia even knows about him,” the man told her. “She may not want to go with you.”

“I realize that,” Helen said. “But I have to at least try…”

“They’re almost done… This is the last scene we are practicing today,” he told her. “You’ll be able to find her in the back once they’re done.”

“Thank you,” she replied with a small smile.

“Things will come out right now.  
We can make it so.  
Someone is on your side—“

Once the song completed, the man stepped forward and spoke to them and then they all started to disappear in different directions. Helen waited and then walked towards the man. “Where can I go to see her?” she asked. She didn’t want to get lost or miss Halia if she could help it.

“That way.”

She thanked him again with a nod and then headed off in the previously designated direction. Helen found herself at a door marked ‘ladies’ and knocked and then peeked in. “I’m looking for Lia,” Helen said. The young ladies all looked at her for a moment.

“She already left,” one of them said.

“She has to work,” another spoke up.

Helen frowned. She’d most likely just missed her. “Do you know where I can find her? It’s important.”

“Dee Lite Bakery,” one of the girls responded. “That’s normally where she works.”

“Thank you,” Helen said and then shut the door. A moment later she was looking up its location on her iPhone. She was thankful that it seemed like everything was well listed, she had a feeling that it helped tourism in the area. The bakery wasn’t far, but it was still going to take her a bit to get there by foot. It would be worth it, though, at least she’d seen Halia and she knew that it was the correct Halia.

Some twenty minutes later, Helen found Dee Lite Bakery and entered the sweet smelling shop. Inside were a few tables and chairs and then lit glass bakery cases that were filled with baked goods. Everything looked so delicious and she found her stomach rumbling at the sights and smells. It was about time she ate something. Approaching the glass cases, she looked over what was inside.

“Can I help you?”

She looked up with a smile at the voice. There she was. Halia was standing behind the case with her hair pulled back into a ponytail and an apron in place. Helen nodded. “I’ll take one of those,” she said as she pointed to the baked sweet.

The sweet was wrapped up and she was rung up. Helen waited a moment after she paid as she tried to think of how not to scare the girl away. “You’re Halia Tallis, right?” Helen asked. When the girls’ face paled a bit and her eyes widened, Helen waved her hand. “I’m not with children’s services.”

“Everyone calls me Lia now,” Halia told her.

“I was sent here by your father.”

“My dad died three years ago,” Halia said.

“Your biological father,” Helen corrected. “Did your mother tell you about him?”

Halia stared at her for a moment. “This is for real? It’s not a joke?”

“I can assure you, it’s not a joke,” she told the girl.

“I think she said his name was John something… She said it wasn’t a serious relationship and he disappeared before she knew she was pregnant with me,” Halia said.

Helen nodded. “His name is John Druitt. He didn’t know about you until recently.”

“Okay…so seventeen years later he knows he has a daughter,” Halia said. “And?”

“And your mother and stepfather have passed and you’re living on the streets,” Helen told her. “He sent me here to offer you a home. I can assure you that you would be well taken care of. If you want to attend university, your tuition would not be an issue.”

There was silence for a long while. Helen opened the bag and started to pick at the treat she’d bought and snacked on it. She didn’t want to scare Halia, but how she wanted to just hug the girl and drag her to the airport and just take her back to Old City. In her mind, she already belonged there.

“I haven’t been to high school in over a year,” Halia admitted. “I have my GED already. I just…they ask too many questions… If you’re hiding from children’s services, it doesn’t help.”

“I just wanted you to know that you’d be well cared for,” Helen told her.

“Why didn’t this John come here himself?” Halia asked.

Helen had a feeling that that might come up. It was a simple and practical question though. “Honestly, he travels a lot. I would be at the residence along with some others. It’s very large though, you’d never know that people are there if you wanted a quiet area.”

“Where do you live? Professor X’s mansion?”

“No,” Helen said. “It’s much larger.”

“I am slightly impressed you got the reference,” Halia admitted.

Helen smiled. She knew that Halia would love Henry and Henry would love having Halia there. He was still mourning Ashley’s loss. “The family at my house is a little different than most, but I believe that you’ll like it there.”

“I don’t know…”

“I know this has to be a lot to wrap your mind around,” Helen told her. “I can wait until you’ve decided though.” Helen reached into her purse to pull out one of her business cards. She started to write her cell phone number on it, but then stopped as Halia started to speak.

“If I go with you… I could always come back if I don’t like it?” Halia asked slowly and tentatively.

Helen looked up with a smile. “Of course you can. You won’t be a prisoner,” she told him. “I’ll even guarantee you a ticket back.”

“I’ve never left the island before,” she admitted quietly.

Helen nodded. “It’ll be a bit of an adjustment. But I’ll be there to go through it with you. You won’t be alone.”

“I’ve been alone for a long time now,” Halia told her. “I don’t really have anything to take with me…” She looked around. “And I can’t leave until I finish my shift.”

Smiling, Helen finishing writing her cell number on the card and pushed it towards Halia. “How about you call me after your shift is over and I’ll come pick you up? You can stay in my hotel and I’ll schedule the flight for tomorrow?”

“Does my father know…about everything here?”

She seemed a little ashamed. “He knows that your mother and stepfather died. Other than that, he doesn’t know anything else. I haven’t talked to him yet today.”

“Does he have to know that I’ve been living on the streets?” Halia asked.

Helen thought for a moment. “I don’t think he’s going to be upset. He’s going to have wished he knew about you earlier is all. I know he’ll be proud of everything you’ve done so far… There’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

“I only own two pairs of clothes—“

“How about we take a late flight tomorrow? We’ll get you a few things before we leave? Anything else you might want we can get after you’ve settled in?” Helen offered.

“Really?”

Helen nodded. It had been some time since she’d taken anyone shopping. Ashley had been shopping for her own clothes for a long time. It was be a nice trip, if nothing else. “We’ll get you carry-on luggage and we’ll fill it with a few new things.”

“I just…” Halia said slowly. She tried to push back tears. “I want him to like me…”

She watched as tears rolled down the girl’s face and she frowned a bit. “Halia, he is your father. He will love you no matter what.” Helen reached out and wiped away the tears. “You have no idea how much he wanted to be here.” Now suddenly she felt like she was going to cry. She kept the tears at bay though. No use in them both crying.

“I get off at six,” Halia told her.

“I’ll see you then?” Helen asked with a small smile.

Halia nodded as she tucked the card into her apron pocket.

Helen picked up the paper bag with the remainder of her treat. “See you soon,” she told Halia with a bright smile. She turned and headed out of the bakery. She’d be back at six and she’d be ready to take John back his daughter.

In the meantime, Helen figured that she should call the Sanctuary and let them know that things were okay. She’d have them pass along word to John that she’d found Halia and that she agreed to come back to the Sanctuary with her. They’d be back home the next day. It would be nice to be home…

Maybe this was really what she needed. This bright piece of hope. Maybe it was just because she needed this time with Halia to help her continue to grieve for Ashley’s passing. Maybe it was something else, all she knew was that she would be happy to return home tomorrow…

. . .

 

O’ahu fled into the distance as they flew out of the Honolulu International Airport. Halia was visibly nervous as she stared out the small window. She’d been so happy all morning. They’d gone shopping and purchased enough clothing items for her to fill two luggage cases. Halia had been a little worried when she’d seen how much it had all cost, but Helen had assured her that she would need the clothing and that she wasn’t worried about the money.

“I’m going to miss it,” Halia spoke up.

Helen stared out the window. “I know you are.”

Halia turned to her. “Maybe even if I like it there, can I maybe come back to visit?”

“Of course,” she told her. “And I promise you… You will see far more of the world.”

“I’ve never thought about seeing the rest of the world,” Halia admitted. She turned and looked back out of the window.

“Neutiquam erro,” Helen said quietly.

“What did you say?”

Helen smiled. “It’s Latin. It means ‘I am not lost’.”

“Latin? People still speak that?”

She laughed. “No. I know a lot of languages,” Helen told her. “Let’s just say that I’m old-fashioned.”

It was fitting though. She had felt so lost before. When she’d returned, she’d felt detached from the world around her and she didn’t feel at home at her Sanctuary. But now…now she was filled with hope. She knew that Henry and the others were there and would be happy to see her and for them all to go back to the way things had been.

Halia had been on her own and on the streets for some time. She’d pressed forward with her life and her education. She probably felt lost in the world, living on the streets. She was a child, who was trying to live in the world as an adult.

They were not lost.

 

. . .

 

TBC…


	16. The Return to Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Helen try to go back to how life was before...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like reviews :D So…review! Hit the 50k mark!

Chapter 16 – “The Return to Bliss”

 

She stared down at her hand idly as she ate her breakfast. It was fairly quiet. Will and Clara were in Moscow. Henry and Erika had taken Alex to London, Erika wanted to see family there. James, Ashley, and Halia were in Cairo. That left her home with Charley and Lucas who were both busy reading at the table. Biggie had even found himself busy with other things. How was it that she’d been married to James for fifty years and suddenly with this ring on her finger, it felt so different?

Helen sighed softly. Things had been relatively quiet around the Sanctuary since the wedding. She supposed it was for the better though. The Sanctuaries around the world had become a bit more active, though. Dangerous abnormals were popping up left and right…plus there were other Cabal-like groups that kept attempting to storm Sanctuaries. Ever since Perci, though, no group had managed to get past the front gates. So, she knew that they were doing things right.

“Today, we’re supposed to get our swords,” Lucas spoke up and directed his gaze to his mother. “If Dad’s in Cairo, then how are we supposed to have them?”

“I’m sure your father doesn’t intend to spend all day long in Cairo,” Helen tried to assure her youngest with a smile. She stared at Lucas and Charley a moment, it seemed like in no time Lucas wouldn’t be the youngest anymore. How perfect things seemed. She and James had worked on making it that way, she had realized after the wedding. Over a hundred years had led to this…to this perfect family and well run Sanctuary. No one of them had done it on their own. They had had all kinds of help along the way.

“I think Dad said that it wasn’t called a sword. It’s a rapier…like they use in Three Musketeers,” Charley spoke up as she continued to read her book.

“It has a pointy tip, so I’m going to call it a sword,” Lucas told her.

“It’s incorrect.”

“Don’t care.”

Helen shook her head. “No arguing…” she said quietly as she rubbed her slightly showing belly a bit. “Don’t want the baby to hear you both shouting…”

“Do we know if it’s a boy yet?” Lucas asked. “I have too many sisters… I want the baby to be a brother.”

“A baby sister would be fun though,” Charley told him.

“We won’t know for a bit longer,” Helen told them both. “And whatever the gender may be, I only hope that he OR she is a healthy and happy baby…” She looked down at her belly. How this had changed things…for the better… Helen used to go out a lot with the teams for abnormal retrieval, but she had a feeling that James (in his renewed state) was eagerly enjoying the opportunity to go out in her stead.

“Can we call him and ask him when he’s coming home?”

“Lucas, don’t be so annoying,” Charley chastised.

“We could call Ashley,” Lucas said. “She won’t mind. She fights all kinds of bad guys and can talk on the phone at the same time.”

Helen sighed. Even though Lucas and Charley were extremely smart, they sometimes had selfish motives and didn’t fully think things through. It was good, though, it meant that they were human and robots, Ashley liked to tease that they were robots. “I think you two should just practice being patient.”

“Patient is boring,” Lucas complained.

“Patience is a virtue,” Charley told him.

“You could find a book to read and I’m sure by the time you finish it, your father will be home,” Helen told them. That seemed to appease them, for now anyway. The rest of breakfast was quiet and she soon found herself walking to the library. Normally she would be going to her office, but this morning she found herself in the library.

She made herself comfortable in one of the chairs after pulling a book from one of the shelves. It wasn’t a book in particular. A random one. She didn’t know why. She was tired. Carrying the baby seemed a lot harder than she remembered. She really wanted to nap but couldn’t bring herself to doing such a thing so early in the day. Leaning back in the chair, she allowed the open book to lay open in her lap as she closed her eyes. Maybe a nap wouldn’t be so bad.

. . .

Her name was what pulled her from the darkness. She was a little startled, but found herself in the safety of James’ presence when she awoke. Helen smiled up at him and then placed her hand across her forehead. “How long have I been sleeping?”

“I’m not sure,” he told her honestly. “But I think you needed it.”

Nodding, she looked at her watch and frowned. She’d slept the morning and part of the afternoon away. She really was tired. Helen sighed. “I guess tomorrow’s another day…”

“Yes, it is…” he told her and leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I gave Halia and Ashley their rapiers. I’m making Charley and Lucas wait a while longer…” He smirked. “I figured that it was best when I was greeted by impatience and bouncing.”

She smiled. “They’re just excited. I suppose we really can’t fault them.”

“I was thinking…maybe we should start thinking of names…” James suggested.

“We have some time,” Helen told him with a smile. Her hand rested on her growing belly. “But I suppose starting that conversation early never hurts… Do you have some in mind already?”

“It is easier when we know gender of course,” James said. “I do like Emma and Katherine and Sophie for a girl…”

“And if it’s a boy?”

“We have been blessed with three beautiful and far too intelligent girls,” he said with a smile. “If it’s a boy…perhaps Augustus or Samuel? Maybe Jacob?” He was quiet for a moment as he thought. “Have you thought of names?”

“I do like Emma for a girl…but I like Olivia and Hannah as well. Sam could work for a boy or a girl,” she told him. “As for names for a boy… Jacob I like as well… Though I do like Carter and Alex also.”

“Well we have some time to hash it out, don’t we?” he said with a smile. He paused for a moment and then spoke up again. “How about Gregory for a boy?”

“After my father?” she asked. Helen had to admit, she’d thought about that when she found out that she was pregnant with Lucas. She’d thought about it, but she’d fallen in love with the name Lucas.

“I think it’s appropriate,” James told her. “After all, Gregory has made a huge impact on both of our lives…and this legacy…”

“True.”

“I’m sure he’d feel honored.”

Helen smiled at him. “Well, we have some time to think it over still…”

“I suppose we shouldn’t leave the kids waiting too long…” James said after a moment. “If you’re ready…I suppose we could go give Charley and Lucas their rapiers so they’ll calm down.”

“Just be sure you repeat the fact that they are for decoration only,” Helen said as she got to her feet. “I don’t want one of them impaling the other…”

James smiled. “The display plaques are already installed,” he explained. “I have plastic tips for the rapiers. I think the children will be safe enough.”

. . .

Charley and Lucas were far too excited. James had thought about making them both wait longer when he appeared with the rapiers and both children were bouncing and squealing in excitement. “You have to make a pledge first,” he told them both.

“What kind of pledge?” Charley asked.

“A pledge that we will always be a family and that you’ll promise to take care of each other…all of our family,” James told them.

Helen stood nearby, holding both rapiers. She thought that the pledge idea was a good idea. They’d really tried to put morals into their children’s minds, but she had a feeling that it helped unify them all. She noticed that a crowd was gathering. Helen smiled at them and motioned them in.

When James held out his hand for the rapier, Helen handed it to him carefully. She didn’t want injuries to start with the mere passing out of the rapiers to her children. “Do you, Charley Victoria Watson pledge to always remember your family and to promise to take care of members of your family?”

Charley very politely curtseyed in place. “I do so pledge.”

James handed the rapier to his daughter very carefully. “And remember that it’s to be used as décor and not a weapon…unless there’s a dire situation.”

Charley nodded.

The other rapier was handed to him and he turned to his son. “And now…do you, Lucas James Watson promise to always remember your family and to promise to take care of members of your family?”

Lucas nodded quickly and then spoke up. “I pledge that.”

He repeated the motion again and the reminder.

“Are we all taking this pledge?” Ashley spoke up.

James turned to the crowd that had formed. Bigfoot, Will, Clara, Erika, Henry, Little Alex, Ashley, and Halia had all formed there to watch their little ceremony. He smiled. “Do you want to take it?”

“I’m fairly sure you’ve all proved yourselves of that pledge,” Helen spoke up.

“But we should all take it,” Ashley told them.

James motioned for her to step forward. Not only Ashley stepped forward, but Halia did as well. He nodded a moment and then spoke up. “Do you…Ashley Elizabeth Magnus and Halia Jayne Tallis promise to always your family and to be there to help them if needed?”

“I do so pledge,” they said together.

. . .

 

TBC…


	17. I Am Not Lost

Chapter 17 – “I Am Not Lost”

 

“Please Helen,” John begged.

She’d brought him a picture of Halia and had told him about finding her and that she was safe in the Sanctuary. She was just trying to settle in and she thought it was important to give her that time. John had insisted on seeing her, but Helen hadn’t wanted to…not until she found a way to contain the energy elemental inside of him. She didn’t want Halia to see him like that.

“John…please…just…try to see it how I see it,” Helen pleaded. She hated to see him like this. He’d been cooperating, though obviously unhappy. “Do you really want to run the risk of scaring her upon first meeting her? She’ll flee immediately if that happens…and I may not be able to find her again.”

“Can she teleport?”

Helen frowned a bit. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t think she knows about the possibility of it. I want to run scans on her, but I don’t want to scare her. Like I said, she’s still settling in…”

John nodded and then started to pace. “So…I have to be resigned to remain here?” He stopped and took a few steps forward and closed the distance between them, now they were only separated by the glass.

He sounded calm, which half surprised her, but she appreciated it as well. There was something comforting about John when he was like this. Something that brought her back to happier times. How she so wished she could release him from his cell… To have the John she remembered from Oxford back…it would be amazing in some senses, but she knew it would still be odd and awkward as well. “For now, I’m afraid,” she said quietly.

“You’ll continue to work on a cure then?” John asked. He raised a hand and pressed it against the glass.

Automatically, she reached up and placed her hand against where his was. “I’m still working on a way to contain the energy elemental inside of you…” She was quiet for a moment. “Whatever I come up with…to excise the elemental again will mean possibly killing you to do so…and then reviving you.”

John bowed his head a bit. “I understand the risk.”

“I just…”

“I know you, Helen,” he said calmly and quietly. “You’ll figure out a way to make it work… You always do. My life in your hands…” John stared at her for a long moment. “I trust you.”

Helen nodded. It scared her a bit that he trusted her that deeply still. Sometimes she doubted herself and sometimes she wondered if she really was doing the right thing. This was one of those times. Could she even pull it off? She knew how to pull the creature from John’s body, they’d done that by accident before…but how on Earth was she going to contain it?

“I should go,” she whispered. “I have a lot of work to do.”

“I’ll be here,” John told her just as quietly.

She removed her hand and she stepped back before finally turning away and heading towards the elevator. It was hard to leave him there. Normally, if he was in such a relaxed state they’d just let him roam the Sanctuary…but with Halia there…she just couldn’t risk it. There was too much at stake…for everyone.

. . .

Once she was in the elevator she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She really suddenly felt like she’d been thrown back into a nightmare. Of course, she absolutely had been delighted to locate Halia and convince her to come to the Sanctuary…but now…she needed to figure out someway to fix John…

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. She opened her eyes to see that eyes were on her, concerned eyes. Helen was half tempted to step out of the elevator but this wasn’t her stop. Instead, the person waiting stepped into the elevator with her and pressed a button.

“You need sleep.”

She sighed. “I know.”

“You should sleep.”

“Not yet.”

“Magnus—“ Bigfoot argued with her.

Turning to him, she stared at him for a moment. He was such a good friend, but right now…right now she needed to fight for John. She knew that she was probably the only one there that would fight for John. Did he deserve it? Maybe not. But she felt like he deserved this second chance at life… To try to have a relationship with a daughter he didn’t know about. Halia was much younger than Ashley had been; there was still time for John to forge a bond with the girl.

“The hard part is going to be to figure out how to contain the elemental… We already know how to get it to leave John’s body and he knows the risks,” she told him.

“Will you be able to live with yourself if this doesn’t work?”

She looked directly at him. How was it that he knew her so well? Helen sometimes felt like she’d known Bigfoot longer than The Five or just as long. “I…I don’t know… It’s something I would have to learn to live with, I guess…”

“Druitt has been part of your life for a very long time.”

“He has been, yes.” She swallowed hard and tried not to think about it. She’d already lost Ashley, James, and her father. She wasn’t going to lose John too. It was too hard. Helen was still trying to deal with having the perfect life dangled in front of her. Was she jealous? Yes. Did she think that she couldn’t find some happiness here? She really wasn’t sure. Would everything turn out okay? She had absolutely no idea.

“Henry’s already been working on a way to contain the elemental. He’s been working on it since you left to search for Halia,” Bigfoot told her. He reached out and set his hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing more you can do until you have a way to contain it, so get some sleep…”

“I should at least check in with him…”

Bigfoot pressed for the elevator to return up to the levels where the bedrooms resided. “He works better without distractions… You can check in with him tomorrow. He may even have the container built by then.”

“Is he that close?”

“It’s more finding a way to keep the energy elemental stable in whatever container we put it in and then the best way to lure it in,” Bigfoot told her. “Just rest…”

Sleep was hard though. It seemed like no matter what she did, sleep didn’t come. And when it finally did, she woke far too early.

. . .

Days passed. She tried to spend them with Halia, getting to know this daughter that she had in another universe. Though ultimately deep down the same, this Halia had different interests. She was more interested in the performing arts rather than medicine. Helen had to admit that she was a tad saddened by that knowledge, but at the same time it was refreshing.

Halia was getting antsy though. She wanted to see her father and Helen couldn’t blame her. She’d been stalling and had come close to telling the girl the truth several times. She’d told her about her father though, the good things Helen remembered of John Druitt. His best qualities and just general and vague background of him. She didn’t feel like it was quite the time to tell Halia that her father was born in the Victorian Era or to go into detail about abnormals and how she was an abnormal and didn’t even know it.

“Doc, I got it…oh…hey Halia,” Henry interrupted. He waved to the girl. “We’re still on for watching Hellboy later right?”

Halia nodded with a smile. “Can’t wait.”

“Awesome.”

Helen stood up and looked to Henry. “You’re certain it’s complete?”

“I’m sure,” Henry told her confidently.

“What is it?” Halia asked.

“A box. Nothing fancy.”

It was a partial truth. Henry had been especially wanting to tell Halia about abnormals and everything about the Sanctuary. Bigfoot had even been staying in hiding. He didn’t want to startle her and he didn’t want to make her run. Helen appreciated it, but she was going to be quite relieved once they didn’t have to hide their true natures and work from Halia. “Your father should be home quite soon,” Helen told her. “I have to go and work down in my lab for a while…do you think you can keep yourself entertained for a while?”

“Do you know when he’ll be here?” Halia asked excitedly.

“I’m hoping tonight…but it may be a day or two,” she told her. Helen didn’t want to give the girl high hopes only to have John recovering from having the elemental out of his body. The last time it hadn’t taken him long to recover, but she didn’t want him pushing it. She know that they could always use jet lag as a cover, but they’d just have to wait and see how things went.

“Sure,” Halia told her. “Do you mind if I dance in the library? I know it’s a place for reading but it’s the biggest open space I’m allowed in…”

“Tomorrow I’ll show you somewhere more suitable, but I don’t see a problem in the meantime,” Helen said with a smile.

. . .

She and Henry headed down to the medical lab to set everything up. Henry was trying to keep all of the medical systems there isolated so that in case the elemental jumped into their system again they would be okay. The room was set up with a simple bed, a vitals monitor, a defibrillator, and the necessary container and tools to contain the elemental. Everything else was pulled from the room.

“Doc, it’s going to be best to turn off all non-essential systems while we do this,” Henry told her. “And I mean EVERYTHING except habitat controls and the SHU lockdown controls.”

“Contact Will and have him gather Halia and keep her somewhere safe. I’m sure he can make up a feasible story,” she told Henry.

It didn’t take long for them to take all of their steps. John was transferred and Henry and Bigfoot were nearby in order to assist and help if needed. John didn’t struggle; he cooperated as he’d been doing. He lay on the bed and just allowed them to work around him. Helen had hooked him up to the monitor that displayed his vitals and Henry had attached a wire, taping it to John’s arm in hopes to direct the elemental into the container.

This was it.

Helen had already applied the thin squares to John’s bare chest and was holding the defibrillator paddles. “Are you ready?”

“I am,” John said quite calmly.

“It’s going to be painful I’m afraid,” she warned.

“I understand.”

She sucked in breath and charged the paddles. “Clear.” She pressed them on the squares and shocked him. His body jolted upward but he was still alive. She turned up the voltage and then tried again. “Clear.” The defibrillator shorted out. Flat line. Her heart felt like it stopped a moment even though she was expecting it. The monitor shorted out. It was still hard to see. She backed off and watched as the energy elemental exited John’s body. She held her breath as she watched it go along the wire and made it’s way into the container. Once inside, Henry locked it down and disconnected the wire.

“We’re good, Doc,” Henry announced.

She didn’t need to hear anything else. She immediately started CPR. With the defibrillator shorted, it was the quickest thing she could do. She started with short breaths and then started chest compressions when there was no pulse.

Helen didn’t know how much time had passed. She remembered being pulled away by Henry and watching as Bigfoot used the other defibrillator. They’d had one outside of the room ready in case the other one was fried in the process. Tears ran down her face as time passed and John still didn’t take in breath. “Breathe John!” she shouted.

As if he’d heard her, John sucked in a noisy breath. His chest started to rise and fall in a steady rhythm.

“He’s okay,” she heard Henry whisper to her as she was released.

Helen found herself at his side and checking his vitals before really allowing herself to breathe easily. “You scared me,” she chastised.

“I’m sorry,” John pushed out.

“Rest now,” she told him.

“I want to see her…”

“John,” Helen said. “Just rest.”

With the power restored to the whole Sanctuary, Helen felt quite a bit relief knowing that the violent energy elemental was not only out of John but in double containment. There was a chance that John (or even Halia) would be susceptible to being used as a host by another one while teleporting in the future but right now…she was just happy to know John was John again.

. . .

The day seemed to crawl on. John was recovering as he’d done before, fairly quickly. It was a good sign, but at the same time she didn’t want to rush him. He needed to be okay. She had done all her scans and it looked like it had been successful. She’d sat at John’s bedside until he woke up. It had been a little difficult to see the man she remembered from so long ago…

He was changed.

Helen had been able to determine the change right away. It was in his eyes, in his whole being. She felt a mix of emotions flood her and found herself unable to remain there. She’d tried to keep her emotions to herself. John was fine and she assigned Bigfoot to keep an eye on John and make sure he ate.

It was all she could do to keep herself in one piece. She hid away in her office with the door shut. She didn’t want to be bothered. Will had already tried to talk to her several times and she just didn’t want to talk. She honestly wanted to pretend like nothing had happened. Like the world was as it should be.

She allowed her head to collect in her hands as she closed her eyes and tried to push the world away. Helen had given herself an hour, that’s all she wanted. An hour to figure out things. The knock at the door made her jump. She sighed. “Come in,” she spoke reluctantly. She listened as the door opened and then closed. It took her a moment before she opened her eyes and moved her hands away from her face. “Henry,” she said softly, quite surprised.

“Hey…I know you probably don’t want to be disturbed…and that’s why the door’s shut,” Henry told her as he walked to her desk with a plate and a cup. He set them down in front of her. “But I figured that with the Big Guy busy hiding with Halia not knowing about abnormals that you probably hadn’t gotten your tea…and Halia and I made cookies.”

“You made cookies?” she asked, quite pleased. A smile spread across her face. There was something so lovely about that.

“Well, she did most of the work…” Henry admitted.

“Thank you, that was very sweet of you to think of me,” Helen told him. She took a sip of her tea and savored it. In truth, she hadn’t had much time for food all day. She’d been allowing her focus to be on John and Halia and their reunion.

“Well, I’ll let you be alone,” Henry told her as he backed away from her desk.

“Henry?”

“Yeah?”

“Stay for a bit?” she requested. Henry and Bigfoot were probably the two that she’d be okay sharing cookies with right now. They’d both known her long enough to know when she really didn’t want to talk and they knew when to talk about something completely different.

. . .

“Are you quite sure you’re up to this?” she asked. She’d brought him down clothes and he’d changed. The plan was for him to transport outside of the Sanctuary and then come up to the door like he was returning home. He wanted to tell Halia about their gifts himself…and then they’d take her on the tour.

“Yes,” John responded. “I’m a little tired, but it’s late…it’s to be expected.”

“It is,” she agreed.

“Tell me more about her.”

Helen frowned a bit. “She looks a bit like Ashley. She’s smart and lovely. Halia wants to have a home… She wants a family.”

“I want to be a good father to her, but I honestly don’t have much practice being a parent.”

“You’ll figure it out, John.”

“I don’t want to scare her away.”

Helen reached out and touched his arm. “You’ll do just fine.” She paused for a moment; she wished that Ashley could have seen this version of her father. “And if you happen to say something wrong, I’ll be right there for damage control.”

“Thank you.”

“All set?” she asked once it appeared that he was completely put together and ready. He nodded. “The EM shield is already down.”

“I will see you in a moment then,” John said before he disappeared.

. . .

“Are you sure he’s at the door?” Halia asked excitedly as she followed Helen towards the door.

“He told me he’d be here shortly and I’m not expecting anyone else. It has to be your father,” Helen told her matter-of-factly. She reached the door and opened it. John was standing there. The look on his face, he looked so happy.

“Helen,” John greeted with a slight bow of his head. He turned to Halia, who was standing right next to Helen. “And you must be Halia.”

Helen moved to the side and motioned for him to come in. “Let’s continue this inside, shall we?”

“Doctor Magnus told me that you didn’t know about me until recently,” Halia said.

John nodded. “That is quite correct. Your mother and I were not together for long…and I tend to travel quite a bit.” He paused for a moment. “If I had known, I would have made sure to collect you when your mother passed…”

“I’ve been okay,” Halia half lied.

Helen stood by, quiet and just listening. She knew that Halia didn’t want John to know everything and she thought that that was okay. John didn’t need this to be any more awkward than it already was.

“Doctor Magnus has been telling me about you,” Halia said. “She said you went to Oxford together.”

John eyed her for a moment. Helen gave him a small smile and nodded. She’d danced around the truth. Halia didn’t need to know everything, at least not all at once now. Later, it would be important for her to know what could happen if she could transport.

“That’s right,” John said. “Are you in school?”

Halia shook her head. “No. I was dancing at a studio.”

“And singing,” Helen spoke up. She turned to John. “She’s quite good.”

John smiled proudly at Halia. “That’s excellent. I know this is a lot for you to take in…and I’m afraid that there is more to tell you about.” He tried to be more serious. “I know I may not seem important, but as my child…you are quite important. There is a world out there that I doubt you’ve seen.”

“I don’t understand,” Halia said.

Helen stepped forward. “Have you noticed anything else besides your natural talents of dance and singing? Something else? Unique?”

“No…”

She looked to John for a moment and then back to Halia. “There is more in the world out there than what most people see. You inherited traits of that world.”

“I don’t understand,” Halia said.

Helen could see that the girl looked confused. That she looked worried even. “Would you like the tour?” she asked. She felt like honestly that was the best way to do this. To give the tour and then explain The Five and John’s gifts…and how it all effected her.”

. . .

The tour went along relatively quiet as far as Halia was concerned. She didn’t seemed terrified, sometimes she seemed a little scared but nothing unexpected. “Do you have questions?” Helen asked as they stood down by Sally’s habitat.

“I have…” Halia started as she looked around. “So many…”

“That’s to be expected,” Helen assured.

“You said that I was important…”

Helen looked to John. “Do you want to tell the story or shall I?”

“I like to hear you tell it so much better,” John told her with a smile.

“What I said was true. Your father and I were at Oxford together. We were part of a group that we called The Five,” Helen told her. “We were experimenting with blood. It had unique properties. We never expected the effects of injecting ourselves with it.”

“Vampire blood,” John filled in.

“In 1886, we were far ahead of our times,” Helen told her. “We were all injected with the blood. We call it the source blood. Nigel Griffin could become invisible, Nikolai Tesla took on vampiric traits, James Watson’s mind grew to new heights, I…well I just am able to live longer…”

“Immortality…”

“Possibly,” Helen said as she turned to John.

“And you?” Halia asked John.

“I was given the ability of speed and transportation,” John filled in.

“Wait…1886?”

John smiled and nodded. “The age of Victoria…”

“Wait…James Watson?”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Helen told her with a smile. “I didn’t want to scare you. I wanted you to be able to meet John…to see all of this…before we revealed the truth about your heritage.”

“You can really transport?” Halia asked.

John nodded. “The EM shield?” He turned to Halia. “There’s an electro-magnetic shield that they keep up around the Sanctuary in order to protect it from unwanted teleporters. We never teleport with the shield up.”

She pulled the walkie-talkie from her waist and held it up to her mouth. She held down the button. “Henry, can you lower the EM shield?”

((Sure, Doc. The shield’s down.))

Before she could say anything she felt John’s hand on her shoulder and they were instantly transported to Henry’s lab. The look on Henry and Bigfoot’s faces were enough to tell them that they’d shocked them as well. “Sorry…didn’t know we’d end up here.”

John just beamed.

“You gave her the tour?” Henry asked.

Helen nodded.

“You’re staying, right?”

John gave Helen an odd look but she just patted his arm. She knew that Henry’s excitement came from wanting another sibling-type person around. He missed Ashley dearly and Halia had fallen into that same place in Henry’s heart. She couldn’t fault him for that.

“I…I…I don’t know,” Halia found herself saying. She stared at Bigfoot.

“He won’t hurt you,” Henry said. “Though he may smack your head…”

“He’s been at the Sanctuary for some time,” Helen explained as she motioned to Bigfoot. “He does quite a lot around here…tends to Henry, Will, and Kate when needed.”

“Babysitter, that is a better title,” Bigfoot said.

Halia smiled a little. “This is really cool in here…” She turned to John. “And the teleporting thing is really cool too.” She paused for a moment. “Does that mean because I’m your daughter that I can as well?”

“We can’t be sure,” Helen told her. “I’ll want to run some tests on you.”

Halia nodded.

“But we have time…if you want to stay?”

. . .

“I will admit, I can’t fault you if you wish to return back to Hawaii,” John told her. They were up at the Sanctuary’s rooftop parapet.

Halia stared out at Old City and then turned to Helen. “If I stay…what will I do?”

“Well, that’s up to you…” Helen told her. “I have no problem funding your education…wherever you want to go…or whatever you wish to study…” Helen paused for a moment. “And…if you like…we’ll explore any abilities you may possess.” She reached out and touched Halia’s shoulder. “You have to know that you’re not alone…not anymore.”

Silence passed between the three of them for some time. It was nice though. Helen didn’t mind the silence. It was comforting in some ways. She honestly felt almost like she’d pulled a piece of the perfect world over. Maybe it was merely Halia’s presence…or maybe it was the monumental change in John. She couldn’t be sure.

“I think I’d like to stay,” Halia spoke up. “I don’t know if I want to go to university…but I’d love to continue dancing and singing…”

John smiled at Halia and then looked over at Helen. “I think that can be accomplished, can’t it?”

“Yes,” Helen said with a smile. “We can definitely do that.”

“I hate foster care…” Halia told them. “I just want a home…” She turned to Helen. “Do you think that it’ll be possible for me to visit the studio I danced at in Hawaii some times?”

“Perhaps that’ll have to be a way to use your abilities,” Helen told her. “I’m sure your father would be happy to teach you how to use it.”

“I would be so happy to,” John told Halia.

. . .

He found her up on the rooftop parapet. He’d expected to find her somewhere else, she was sure. She looked over at him when he came up. Henry had raised the EM shield once again and they’d been sure to inform Halia of this face. She smiled at him. “Halia all settled in?”

“Yes,” he said as he sat down on the edge alongside her.

“I’m glad that you’re doing so much better,” Helen told him. It was true. It was like having a piece of the past back. Though John (even in this state) wasn’t James who had been such a close friend for so long, it was nice having him there.

John smiled at her. “I’ve missed you, Helen.”

“I’ve missed you, John,” she whispered.

“I hope that Halia staying here isn’t an inconvenience.”

“Of course not,” she said quickly. “I wanted to seek her out as much as you wanted her found.”

John sighed. “I feel like it’s only fair for us to tell her about Ashley…”

“I…” she started to then felt like she couldn’t breathe for a second. It was still hard to think about Ashley. She loved her daughter so much and to have her taken away…and to have her life ended so soon… “I…I thought of that as well…” She looked at him and found his arm around her. “I didn’t think I could make it through talking to her about Ashley without completely breaking down.”

He wiped away tears she didn’t even know had fallen. “I can tell her about Ashley… I don’t know most of Ashley’s story…but I know who she was in this world…who she really was…”

Helen nodded. “Maybe once Halia’s here a bit longer…I could talk to her about Ashley.”

“I was hoping that you’d be able to get me a few copies of pictures of her? For me and for Halia?” John asked.

“I thought you may want a picture for your room…if indeed you are going to stay here on more of a permanent basis?” Helen asked.

John stared at her. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’ll be a little odd, I’ll admit,” she told him. “At first anyways…but I’m happy to have you back…to really have you back…”

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Helen, I want to know that you know that you’re not alone… I know that you must feel like that sometimes…even here…but you’re not. No matter what that elemental did to me, made me do…I would never have purposely let harm to come to you… I will always be here for you.”

Smiling, she allowed her head to rest on his shoulder as she stared out at the lights of Old City in the distance. “I know, John.”

. . .

The End


End file.
